Arthur G. Wright facts for kids
Arthur George Wright (born May 28, 1937 – died July 4, 2015) was an American R&B musician. He was a talented session guitarist, meaning he played on many recordings for other artists without being a main band member. He was also an arranger, record producer, and singer. Sometimes, people knew him as Art Wright.
He started learning guitar when he was a child in Los Angeles. As he grew up, he began playing with bands in small clubs and also helped doo-wop singing groups. A famous guitarist named T-Bone Walker was one of his musical heroes. In 1953, while still in high school, he formed his very first band. Later, he met H. B. Barnum, and together they created a band called the Circats. This band played in clubs in the late 1950s and even traveled to Hawaii with the famous group Billy Ward and his Dominoes. Arthur also played in bands that backed up other great performers like Roy Milton, Sam Cooke, Don Julian, and Johnny Otis.
Working with Music Stars
Arthur Wright became a very busy and important musician in the music world. He often worked closely with a producer named Hal Davis. For over twenty years, Arthur helped many famous artists from Motown, a very popular record company.
Motown Legends
He worked with some of the biggest names in music, including:
Other Famous Artists
Arthur also collaborated with many other well-known musicians outside of Motown. These included:
- Ray Charles
- The Friends of Distinction
- the Righteous Brothers
- Jerry Butler
- Donna Summer
- Ike & Tina Turner
- Billy Preston
People believe that Arthur Wright played on or helped arrange over 5,000 different songs! That's a huge number of recordings!
His Own Projects
In the late 1960s, Arthur Wright was part of a studio band called Afrique, along with another guitarist named David T. Walker. Later, in 1978, Arthur led his own band, which he named The Wright Brothers Flying Machine. This band released an album with the same name on Casablanca Records.
Arthur George Wright passed away on July 4, 2015, at the age of 78. His funeral was held on July 18, 2015, in Lawndale, California.
Discography
Arthur Wright played on several albums, including:
- The Original Cleanhead (1970) with Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
- Super Black Blues (1969) with the Super Black Blues Band, featuring T-Bone Walker, Otis Spann, and Joe Turner
