John Albert Wright (September 7, 1934 - December 15, 2017) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
pianist who was active in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, especially during the 1960s.
Life and work
John Wright was born in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
in 1934. His family moved to Chicago in 1936 where his mother, an evangelistic preacher, founded a church at which he had begun to play piano by the age of seven.Never the Same: Interview with John Wright accessed November 30, 2018 He attended
Wendell Phillips High School
Wendell Phillips Academy High School is a public 4–year high school located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Phillips is part of the Chicago Public Schools district and is managed by the Acad ...
and played organ at the Christian Hope M.B. Baptist Church before enlisting in the military in 1952 where he was stationed in Germany with the 7th Army Special Services and developed his skills in playing jazz.Chicago Reader: The life of John Wright, the Chicago jazz pianist they call "South Side Soul" accessed November 30, 2018
Upon his return to Chicago in 1955, Wright performed in the local jazz scene in clubs and in 1960 began to record for the
Prestige
Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.)
Prestige may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Films
* ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...
label producing a total of five albums for the label between 1960 and 1962.
Wright continued to perform on the Chicago club scene and worked as a librarian at the
Cook County Jail
The Cook County Jail, located on in South Lawndale, Chicago, Illinois, is operated by the Sheriff of Cook County. A city jail has existed on this site since after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but major County prisoners were not generally co ...
from the mid-1980s until 1999. In 1994, he recorded a final album ''Wright Changes & Choices''.
In 2008, Wright was inducted into the Wendell Phillips High School Hall of Fame, and in 2009 he was awarded the
Walter Dyett
Walter Henri Dyett (also known as Captain Walter Henri Dyett; January 11, 1901 – November 17, 1969) was an American violinist and music educator in the Chicago Public Schools system. He served as music director and assistant music director ...
Lifetime Achievement Award by the
Jazz Institute of Chicago The Jazz Institute of Chicago is a non-profit arts presenting organization that produces jazz concerts and runs educational programs. It was founded in 1969 by a small band of jazz fans, writers, club owners, and musicians to preserve the historical ...
. Wright died in late 2017, and tribute concerts were performed in his memory at the 2018
Chicago Jazz Festival
The Chicago Jazz Festival is an admission-free, four-day annual jazz festival in Chicago's Millennium Park. It is run by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and programmed with the assistance of Jazz Institute of Chicago during ...
Prestige
Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.)
Prestige may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Films
* ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...
Mr. Soul
"Mr. Soul" is a song recorded by the Canadian-American rock band Buffalo Springfield in 1967. It was released June 15, 1967, as the B-side to their fourth single "Bluebird" and later included on the group's second album ''Buffalo Springfield Agai ...
'' (Prestige, 1962)
*'' The Last Amen'' (Prestige, 1961 965
*''Wright Changes & Choices'' (Norma, 1994)
As sideman
With
Arbee Stidham
Arbee William Stidham (February 9, 1917 – April 26, 1988) was an American blues singer and multi-instrumentalist.
According to the authors of the book ''All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues'', Stidham was "exactl ...