John Wright

Chicago jazz pianist John Wright earned his reputation with a string of LPs for the Prestige label in the early 60s —his 1960 debut made such an impression that its title, South Side Soul, remains his nickname to this day. His discography has been sparse since then.

John Wright was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1934, and his family came to Chicago in 1936. His father became a stockyard worker, and his evangelist mother opened a Pentecostal church on West Roosevelt; in the early 1940s, the family moved to the south side. (Wright later learned that his father's real last name was Washington, and that for decades he'd been a fugitive from a chain gang. "He told us that he'd killed 13 peckerwoods and one black," says Wright. "And the only thing we asked him was, 'Was it justified?' He said yes.") By age three Wright was picking out melodies on the piano, and by seven he was playing in...

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John Wright Albums

3 records