O.V. Wright (Born 09/10/1939, Died 16/11/1980)

Wright was born in Leno, Tennessee, just outside of Memphis. By the time he was six years old, he was encouraged by his mother to sing in church. Even then, the young Wright stood out from the rest of the choir. During the 50s and early 60s, Wright worked with Memphis' Five Harmonaires, the Spirit of Memphis Quartet, the Luckett Brothers, the Highway QCs, and the Sunset Travelers. Wright recorded several singles and one album on the Peacock label with the Travelers, beginning when he was nineteen.

While he worked the gospel circle in late 50s Memphis, Wright met songwriter Roosevelt Jamison. In 1964, Jamison got the Memphis-based Goldwax label to sign Wright and issue a single on him, 'There Goes My Used To Be' b/w 'That's How Strong My Love Is'. It didn't take long for disc jockeys to latch on to the ballad on the B-side, which was then covered both by Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones. It remains one of his definitive performances but he never really had a chance of commercial success once Redding had covered it.

O.V. Wright's secular career hit a roadblock when Don Robey of the Texas-based Peacock label filed a lawsuit against Goldwax, claiming that Wright was still under contract to Peacock as a member of the Sunset Travelers. The court ruled in Robey's favour, and Wright's Goldwax debut became nothing more than a historical footnote.
Wright switched to Duke/Peacock's subsidiary, Back Beat, for his first single there, 'I Don't Want To Sit Down' (1964). In the summer of 65, Wright enjoyed his first national chart single when 'You're Gonna Make Me Cry' hit number 6 on the R&B charts. It also briefly crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 86. It took another two years for the singer to return to the charts, but when he did, it was with the song that many consider O.V. Wright's finest effort.

'Eight Men, Four Women''s' surreal storyline tells of a man who dreamt that love was a crime, and that he and his woman were on trial for loving each other. The unusual lyrical content, coupled with Wright's delivery, which married the pain of the blues with the uplifting joy of religious music propelled 'Eight Men' to number 4 R&B in the late spring of 1967. It also reached number 80 pop and proved to be Wright's biggest hit on both charts.

During his decade with Back Beat, O.V. Wright placed twelve singles on the Billboard R&B charts. They included 'Heartaches, Heartaches', 'Oh Baby Mine', 'Ace of Spades', 'When You Took Your Love From Me' and the Shades favourite 'A Nickel And A Nail'. Throughout the 70s he continued to record genuine soul (ABC and then Hi were among the labels), 'I'd Rather Be Blind, Crippled and Crazy' and "Into Something" two of his best recordings..

By the end of the 70s, his demanding lifestyle (drugs have often been cited as contributory factor in his deterioration) had taken its toll. Wright underwent heart surgery, and the doctor advised him that he could live between one and six years. He barely made one. O.V. Wright died in Birmingham, Alabama, on November 16, 1980, en route to the hospital. The cause of death was listed as heart failure. He was 41.

Thanks to Dean Farrell for much of this entry