Curtis Wright

Curtis Wright
Birth name Curtis Blaine Wright
Born (1955-06-06) June 6, 1955
Origin Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres Country
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1989-present
Labels MCA/Airborne, Liberty (solo)
Giant (in Orrall & Wright)
Free Falls, Cumberland Road (in Shenandoah)
Associated acts Vern Gosdin
Robert Ellis Orrall
Shenandoah

Curtis Blaine Wrightt Jr. (born June 6, 1955 in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania) is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1989 with the single "She's Got a Man on her Mind" on a branch of MCA Records, before recording a solo album in 1992 on Liberty Records. By 1994, he and frequent songwriting partner Robert Ellis Orrall had formed a duo known as Orrall & Wright, which also recorded one major-label album. Wright later succeeded Brent Lamb in 2002 as the lead vocalist for the band Shenandoah, until being replaced by Jimmy Yeary in 2007. He has toured as a member of Pure Prairie League as well.[1]

Biography

Initially a member of a band known as the Country Generation, succeeded by the Super Grit Cowboy Band, Wright later performed as a backup vocalist and guitarist for Vern Gosdin.[2] In December 1989, he quit Gosdin's band and wrote Ronnie Milsap's number one single "A Woman in Love".[3] Wright signed with Airborne Records in 1990 and released "She's Got a Man on Her Mind", which charted at number 38 on Hot Country Songs. (A version of the same song by Conway Twitty charted one year later.) Wright was also slated to release an album titled Slick Hick in March 1990, which would have been produced by himself and Jeff Carlton.[4] However, the album went unreleased due to financial issues with the label.[5]

Later in the same year, he co-wrote Shenandoah's "Next to You, Next to Me" with Robert Ellis Orrall, and Steve Wariner's top 20 hit "There for Awhile". In 1992, Wright signed to Liberty Records, where he released his self-titled debut album that year. This album produced two more low-charting singles. It also included the song "What's It to You", which Wright also co-wrote with Orrall. Although Wright's version was never released as a single, Clay Walker later recorded this song on his 1993 debut album, and his version was a number one hit that year. He also co-wrote Shenandoah's 1992 single "Rock My Baby".[6] By 1994, Wright joined Orrall to form Orrall & Wright, a duo which charted two singles and recorded one album for Giant Records before disbanding.[2] Wright later wrote Daryle Singletary's 1996 single "Too Much Fun".

After the departure of their former lead singer Brent Lamb (who, in turn, replaced Marty Raybon) in the late 1990s, Shenandoah chose Wright as their third lead singer.[7] Wright left Shenandoah in 2007 to join Pure Prairie League, and Jimmy Yeary succeeded him.

Discography

Curtis Wright (1992)

Curtis Wright
Studio album by Curtis Wright
Released July 14, 1992 (1992-07-14)
Genre Country
Label Liberty
Producer
Track listing
  1. "What's It to You" (Wright, Robert Ellis Orrall) - 2:47
  2. "Phonographic Memory" (Wright, Orrall, Doug Millett) - 2:29
  3. "If I Ever Love Again" (Wright, Billy Spencer) - 3:53
  4. "I Can't Stand to Watch My Old Flame Burn" (Wright, T. J. Knight) - 3:02
  5. "I Don't Know How Love Starts" (Wright, Knight, Rich Alves) - 3:40
  6. "If I Could Stop Lovin' You" (Wright, Spencer, Orrall) - 2:23
  7. "If You Don't Love Me" (Wright) - 3:05
  8. "Talk to Me, Heart" (Wright) - 3:45
  9. "I Tripped over Your Memory" (Wright, Curt Ryle, Mike Baker) - 2:50
  10. "Hometown Radio" (Vernon Rust) - 3:45
Personnel

Compiled from liner notes.[8]

Technical

Singles

Year Single Peak chart
positions		 Album
US Country CAN Country
1989 "She's Got a Man on Her Mind" 38 — Slick Hick (unreleased)
1990 "You Saved Me"[9] — —
1992 "Hometown Radio" 59 66 Curtis Wright
1993 "If I Could Stop Lovin' You" 53 79
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

  1. ↑ Smith, Stephen (2007-05-24). "Raise the Roof 5: Pure Prairie League Ready for Show". The Pilot. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  2. 1 2 Mansfield, Brian. "Curtis Wright Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  3. ↑ Roland, Tom (1991). The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits. Billboard Books. p. 572. ISBN 0-8230-7553-2.
  4. ↑ "New Artist Fact File" (PDF). Radio & Records: 56. December 1, 1989.
  5. ↑ Lewis, Jim (21 February 1990). "Record label can't release artist's song". The Bryan Times. UPI. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "Shenandoah". Patterson & Associates. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  7. ↑ Bennett, Mark (2007-05-24). "Shenandoah to perform at Fairbanks Park festival". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  8. ↑ Curtis Wright (CD booklet). Curtis Wright. Liberty Records. 1992. CDP-7-97825-2.
  9. ↑ Richliano, Jim (November 18, 1989). "New on the charts" (PDF). Billboard. p. 48. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
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