Willie Wright Soul Singer

Willie Wright

on Green Coil Recordstm

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This is Not a dream

Willie Wright's first new studio album in 34 years! (released April, 2012)

Rhythm & Blues fans brought back his collectible 1978 classic LP "Telling the Truth," (released on CD by Numero Group in 2011), inspiring Willie to create this album of all new original compositions.

“Wright’s music has a preternatural ease about it, and a deceptively simple emotional heft that reminds me of other folk-soul troubadours, like Bill Withers.”

“...An enigmatic figure on the 1970s soul scene, Willie Wright was a singer and songwriter who spent his career laboring in obscurity but has earned a potent reputation among collectors for his rare, self-released recordings. Wright began making music professionally in New York City where he sang with doo wop groups, but he settled in Boston in the late '60s as the city's hippie scene was on the rise.”

“....a musician who, despite a lack of commercial success, resolutely followed his own muse as an artist and his own whims as a man. This assessment is perfectly reflected in Wright's music itself-- a radical blend of sounds delivered in a mostly laid back, untroubled style.

"The first album in many many years from the enigmatic Willie Wright – an artist who's probably best known for Numero Records' recent revival of his older material, than he was for getting big exposure back in the day! This new set is handled with a surprisingly great style – one that really stays true to Wright's unique brand of folksy soul – a mode that's got echoes of Bill Withers and Terry Callier, but which is also served up in a voice that's distinctly Willie's own too! Instrumentation is nicely stripped down – just guitar, keyboards, and rhythm on most tracks – plus bits of flute or sax here and there – and the production is wonderfully faithful to Wright's vocals, which sound surprisingly strong after all these years." © 1996-2012, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

"...This Is Not A Dream, Willie Wright’s first release since 1978, is a bittersweet project. Fans of Wright’s 1978 Telling the Truth will be glad to hear from this plainspoken singer/songwriter and will certainly hear elements in the new project that will ring familiar. This Is Not A Dream, like Telling the Truth, features simple arrangements and Wright’s ability to tell a story.

Wright has confronted many things during the 34-year interval between Telling the Truth and This Is Not A Dream -- especially challenges surround the artist’s health. Wright was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and the illness has entered an advanced stage. Wright will be 73-years old on July 7, and he understands that This Is Not A Dream will likely be his final album.

...The impact that the disease has taken on Wright’s body can be heard in his vocals. Wright’s tenor voice is softer, and his voice slurs slightly in some spots. Wright himself is aware of these changes. “I can feel that I’m losing it slowly,” Wright says in a quote from an interview that is included in the album’s liner notes.

...The artist makes some adjustments in recognition of his condition. As a composer, Wright always favored a minimalist approach.

...The minimalist arrangements on This Is Not A Dream generally work, providing a folk, blues and 1970s era singer/songwriter vibe. Wright doesn’t need to compete with overproduced tunes. He has something to say, so it’s logical to create a project where little stands between stories and the listener.

Wright...still knows how to write simple yet vivid lyrics. The best songs on This Is Not A Dream are the tracks where stories filled with passion, vulnerability and honesty unfold in three or four intense minutes. More often than not, Wright sticks to the formula, and that makes This Is Not A Dream a sentimental journey for Wright’s longtime fans and likely a worthy coda to a memorable half century of work by Willie Wright...."

- Howard Dukes on Soultracks.com

Green Coil Records is Willie Wright’s label, on which he released his most recent studio work, 2012’s critically acclaimed “This is not a Dream,” another Willie Wright enigmatic, poetic, gem, his first studio release in over three decades, with, as the opening track announces, “A little bit of country, a little bit of rock and roll, a little bit of blues, and a little bit of soul.”

We are exclusive worldwide licensing agent for his entire catalog, except for those songs included in the 2011 re-release on CD of his 1978 LP Telling the Truth (Numero Group).

Willie Wright 1939 - 2020

We are sad to announce the passing of our dear friend and musical collaborator Willie Wright earlier this month in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A. In addition to his family and many friends, he leaves legions of loyal fans worldwide, who will keep his unique musical legacy alive. Condolences sent via our "Contact Us" page will be forwarded to his family.

Bob and Bill, Green Coil Records.