Johnnie Wright
Johnnie Robert Wright Jr. (born May 13, 1914 in Mount Juliet , Tennessee , † September 27, 2011 in Madison , Tennessee) was an American country musician, best known under the pseudonyms Johnnie Wright and Johnny Wright . Together with Jack Anglin he formed the successful duo Johnnie and Jack . He was the husband and manager of the also popular Kitty Wells .
life and career
Wright was born to a farming family in the small town of Mount Juliet, near Nashville . At the age of 20 he often sang for a local radio station with his sister Louise Wright and his wife Muriel Deason, who owes him the stage name Kitty Wells . In 1938 he first met the country singer Jack Anglin , who soon married Louise. A group of four musicians was formed from them.
When Anglin returned from his service in the army in 1946 , he formed the duo Johnnie and Jack with Wright , with whom they became commercially successful. After a car accident in which Anglin was unfortunately killed, Wright had to continue his career first with his band The Tennessee Mountain Boys , later as a solo artist. He had a big hit in the United States with Hello Vietnam . The title topped the American country charts for several weeks and was later used as the theme song for the anti-war film Full Metal Jacket .
Private
With his wife Wright had two daughters, Carol Sue (* 1941) and Ruby (1939-2009), and a son, Bobby (* 1942). As country musicians, however, they could not and cannot build on the success of their parents.
Discography
Solo albums (selection)
- Hello Vietnam (1965)
- Country Music Special (1966)
- Country ... The Wright Way (1967)
- Sings Country Favorites (1968)
With Kitty Wells (selection)
- We'll Stick Together (1968)
- Sing Heartwarming Gospel Songs (1972)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Johnnie Wright obituary , theguardian.com, accessed May 22, 2016. (English)
- ↑ Biography of Kitty Wells , kittywells.com, accessed May 22, 2016. (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wright, Johnnie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wright, Johnny (pseudonym); Wright, Johnnie Robert Jr. (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 13, 1914 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mount Juliet , Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 27, 2011 |
| Place of death | Madison , Tennessee |