William Wright (May 21, 1918, or 1932 – October 28, 1991) was an American singer. He is considered one of

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

's greatest influences in his formative years.

Biography

Wright was born in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

. There is uncertainty over his year of birth. He claimed to have been born in 1932, but the researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc have stated that he was born in 1918, on the basis of official records and a newspaper obituary; other sources suggest 1928. As a child, Wright excelled at singing

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is co ...

in his local church. In his youth, he worked as a dancer and as a

female impersonator A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...

"The REAL Tent Show Queens: What Was on Their Mind?"
Corey @ I'll Keep You Posted, April 5, 2011]. Retrieved 27 October 2016. but developed as a singer when he began performing at Atlanta's 81 Theater. The saxophonist

Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams (July 13, 1915 – September 14, 2002) was an American jazz and blues saxophonist, bandleader, and songwriter. His record "The Huckle-Buck", recorded in December 1948, was one of the most successful R&B records of ...

saw Wright's performance when the two shared a bill with Charles Brown and

Wynonie Harris Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) was an American blues shouter and rhythm-and-blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. He had fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by ...

. Williams recommended him to Herman Lubinsky of Savoy Records.Marion, J. C. (2004)
"Prince of the Blues: Billy Wright"
. ''Jamm Up''. Retrieved 27 October 2016 His first record, "Blues for My Baby", recorded with Howard Collander's orchestra, rose to number 3 on the ''Billboard''

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

in 1949. He had three more records on the R&B chart: "You Satisfy" (number 9, 1949), "Stacked Deck" (number 9, 1951), and "Hey, Little Girl" (number 10, 1951). A flamboyant performer, he was known as the "Prince of the Blues" throughout his career. He was a key figure in Atlanta blues after World War II and had a major influence on the rock-and-roll pioneer

, whom he helped get his first recording contract in 1951.White, Charles. (2003). ''The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography''. Omnibus Press. P. 25. In the early 1950s, the openly gay Wright also helped in establishing Richard's look, advising him to use pancake makeup on his face and wear his hair in a long-haired pompadour style similar to his. In 1954, Wright signed a contract with

Peacock Records Peacock Records was an American record label, started in 1949 by Don Robey in Houston, Texas, United States. History " Hound Dog" by Big Mama Thornton was a hit for Peacock in 1953. Other significant rhythm and blues artists on Peacock were Ma ...

, owned by Don Robey, in Houston, Texas. He made his last recordings in 1959. He primarily worked as an MC in Atlanta but continued to perform until he suffered a stroke. He died of a

pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream ( embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathin ...

Doc Rock
The Dead Rock Stars Club: 1990–1991
Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Accessed July 2010. just before his 1991 Halloween show at the Royal Peacock in Atlanta.

Discography

Singles

*"Blues for My Baby" / "You Satisfy" (Savoy 710), 11/1949 *"Man’s Brand Boogie" / "Beg-a-Dog" (Atlanta 6000), 1950 *"I Keep Drinkin'" / "Billy’s Boogie Blues" (Savoy 715),1950 *"Back Biting Woman" / "Thinkin' Blues" (Savoy 733), 1950 *"After Dark Blues" / "Heavy Hearted Blues" (Savoy 741), 1951 *"'Fore Day Blues" / "Empty Hands" (Savoy 761), 1951 *"Mean Old Wine" / "Keep Your Hands on Your Heart" (Savoy 776), 11/1951 *"Stacked Deck" / "Mercy Mercy" (Savoy 781), 1951 *"Hey Little Girl" / "Gotta Find My Baby" (Savoy 810), 1951 *"New Kind of Lovin'" / "When the Wagon Comes" (Savoy 819), 1952 *"Turn Your Lamps Down Low" / "Drinkin' and Thinkin'" (Savoy 827), 1952 *"Married Woman’s Boogie" / "Every Evening" (Savoy 837), 1952 *"If I Didn’t Love You" / "Goin' Down Slow" (Savoy 870), 12/1952 *"" / "Four Cold Cold Walls" (Savoy 1100), 5/1953 *"Live the Life" / "I Remember" (Savoy 1127), 4/1954 *"Bad Luck, Heartaches, and Trouble" / "The Question" (Peacock 1657), 7/1955 *"Have Mercy Baby" / "I Love You Sweetheart" (Carrollton 801), 1959

Other recordings

*"Walking the Blues" (Savoy), unreleased, 9/23/1949 *"Ride on Little Girl" (Savoy), unreleased, 1/7/1950 *"Misfortune Blues" (Savoy), unreleased, 4/24/1950 *"Restless Blues" (Savoy), unreleased, 1951 (included on Savoy LP-1146) *"

This Love of Mine "This Love of Mine" is a popular American song that was first recorded in 1941 by Tommy Dorsey and His orchestra, with a vocal by Frank Sinatra. Sinatra wrote the words and Sol Parker and Hank Sanicola wrote the music. Background The Tommy Dorse ...

" (Savoy), unreleased, 1951 (included on Savoy LP-1146) *"If I Had My Life to Live Over" (Savoy), unreleased, 1952 (included on Savoy LP-1146) *"Sad Hour Blues" (Savoy), unreleased, 1952 (included on Savoy LP-1146) *"Do Something for Me", recorded live at the Harlem Theater, Atlanta, Georgia, 1952 (included on the album ''Stacked Deck'') *"Keep Your Hand on Your Heart and Your Mind on Me" (Savoy), 1953 (included on Savoy LP-2255) *"Will You Need Me" (Savoy), unreleased, 1954 (included on Savoy LP-1146) *"Baby Don't You Want a Man Like Me" (Peacock), unreleased, 1955 *"Let's Be Friends" (Peacock), unreleased, 1955 * Titles unknown (Fury/Fire), unreleased, 1959

Albums

*''Stacked Deck'' (Route 66), 1980 *''Goin Down Slow'' (Savoy LP-1146), 1984 *Various artists, ''Southern Blues: Roots of Rock and Roll Volume 11'' (Savoy LP-2255), 1985 *''Billy Wright/Little Richard: Baby Don’t You Want a Man Like Me'' (Ace 193), 1987 *''Billy Wright'' (Savoy Jazz), 1994 *''Classics 1949-1951'' (Melodie Jazz Classics), 2003 *''Billy Wright'' (Savoy Jazz), 1994 *''Have Mercy Baby'' (Blue City BCCD-810), including his Peacock, Carrollton, and Atlanta recordings

References

External links

* Allmusic on Billy Wright {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Billy 1932 births 1991 deaths American blues singers American gay musicians LGBT African Americans Savoy Records artists Musicians from Atlanta Deaths from pulmonary embolism Burials at South-View Cemetery 20th-century LGBT people 20th-century African-American male singers African-American drag queens