Benjamin F. Wright Jr., began formulating the
backbone of his musical career in the mid-sixties, in his native
Greenville, Mississippi. While
performing as Drum Major in the high-school marching band, and he
played tympanis, as well as other percussion instruments in the
high-school concert band. He was also chosen as the pianist for
the select, Directors Band.
After high-school, his first major tour was with the prominent Rhythm
and Blues icon Ted Taylor where Mr. Wright played piano and shared
vocal chores with the group. The group also allowed him his first
opportunity to work as a musical arranger. This
exposure gained Benjamin Wright the recognition as an excellent
musician, which lead to subsequent R&B tours with major artists,
such as James Brown Otis Redding, Billy Stewart
and Gladys Knight and The Pips.
At the end of this successful tour period, the U.S. military draft
interrupted his ever so promising musical career. While
serving in the U.S. Air Force, Mr. Wright enrolled in the Department of Defense music
theory class, as well as taking correspondence courses through Carl
Fischer Music and The Berkeley School of Music to offset his mandatory,
yet successful military tour of
duty. Upon
his Honorable discharge in Montgomery, Alabama (his last assigned
military station), he was invited to perform and work with Bobby Moore
and The Rhythm Aces, Chess Records recording artists who were very
popular at that time. After several years,
he parted from Bobby Moore and began working the hotel circuit and jazz
trios across the United
States.
In 1969, Mr. Wright settled in Chicago,
the hub of successful R&B music at that time. He began
working as a copyist for industry notable
arrangers such as Charles Stepney, Gene Barge, Donny
Hathaway and Richard
Evans, while performing with the Pieces of
Peace; a group of stellar recording musicians which performed
recording sessions for Jackie Wilson, The Chi-Lites,
Jerry Butler, Curtis Mayfield, The Impressions, Tyron Davis,
The Dells and other greats. During this
time, Benjamin Wright produced his first album on blues artist Otis
Clay for the TK-label. In 1970-71, he enrolled
in the Chicago Conservatory of Music. At the end of 1971, the Pieces of
Peace, along with Mr. Wright, embarked on a year long tour of the U.K.
and Middle-East. Upon his return to the
states, he became the musical director for
the legendary group The Dells. Soon after, The Benjamin Wright Orchestra was
formed. The
group played behind many of the greats performing in Chicago and
surrounding areas as well as being the house band for the popular High
Chaparral night club.
In 1975 Benjamin Wright headed
west to Los Angeles and became the musical director for “The Temptations, Gladys Knight and The Pips, Aretha Franklin and Barry White and The Love Unlimited Orchestra. In 1979 he was the string arranger for the famed Michael
Jackson first solo album “Off The Wall” produced by Quincy Jones. Benjamin Wright alone with Kathy Wakefield and Tony Coleman
wrote the Grammy Award
winning song “Find
100 Ways” sung by James Ingram on the Quincy Jones album
“The Dude”.
In 1982-83 a new
Wright era began with the opening of Ritesonian Recording Studio which
was a dream come true. Also
during 1982-83 Benjamin Wright established the Ritesonian Music Company
(ASCAP). He had established B-Rite Music (BMI) 8 years earlier.
In 1987, Mr. Wright was selected to be the musical director and
conductor for "The Night of the Divas." This event was held in Washington D.C. as a
tribute to the first black opera star, Miss Marion Anderson, who attended the affair. This further
established Benjamin Wright as an extraordinary musician as well as an
accomplished conductor.
1988 took Benjamin
back on the road as musical director for “Gladys Knight and
The Pips” to do a year of one niters. To the surprise of even Benjamin Wright, he suggested to Gladys Knight and The Pips, "We need to change the always 32 piece
orchestra to a 10
piece band because the schedule would
not allow the time to rehearse a new
orchestra in a different city everyday." After
a little arm twisting, Gladys and The Pips gave Benjamin the go ahead to transform the
charts for the 32 piece orchestra to a
10 piece band that included 5
keyboard players. It worked so well that the “Gladys Knight
and The Pips” band was the hit of the
tours for the next couple of years.
Being a workaholic Benjamin always worked in his hotel rooms on the road to write charts for
recording sessions for
many artist and to complete other writing assignments. The 90’s provided many recording projects for
Benjamin Wright as one of
the most sought after arrangers in the music business. Also touring new places in America, Europe, Asia, and the Far East, doing long engagements in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, performing at the White House for President Bill Clinton and serving as one of the music directors for the
“Rhythm and Blues Pioneer Awards”.
2000 was also very good for Benjamin Wright.
More recording sessions with new
artist and quite a few symphony dates.
There has
also been a
wonderful spiritual opportunity for Benjamin to put together, write and conduct 50 piece orchestras for church
programs. What a blessing and a joy! In 2002, he received a “DOCTORAL DEGREE” from the
Pentecostal Bible College in
Tuskegee Alabama.
In 2003, Benjamin Wright and his long time friend singer, Louis
Price former lead singer with The
Temptations finally
stopped talking about it after five
years and put together an 18 piece band with three back
ground singer. This is a dream come true
for Louis Price and Benjamin Wright. I bet
you “can” guess what the name of the band is: You
are right! The
name of the band is...
“THE
PRICE/WRIGHT ORCHESTRA”. This orchestra consist of 18 stellar recording session players and 3 lovely talented back
ground singers lead by
one of the most versatile
and talented singers in
the business, Louis Price
and gold and platinum
arranger/conductor Benjamin
Wright.
2004 has started off very successfully
for Benjamin, with five new
arrangements for a new album
by Brandy, produced three songs with Otis Williams for The
Temptations, a 50
piece orchestra at the Great Western Forum
for the
Faithful Central Bible
Church Easter service and gigs on the
itinerary for The Price/Wright Orchestra. Oh, I must
mention that during the 2004
Grammy Awards,
Justin Timberlake won 2 Grammies for the album
"Justified" which was runner-up for album of the year. Outkast won 3
Grammies and won
album of the year. Benjamin Wright arranged strings on two tracks for Justin Timberlake and two tracks on Outkast. [Still
in the game, huh?]
In December
2005, Benjamin Wright was honored
to participate with the “NOBEL PEACE PRIZE”
celebration in Oslo, Norway
by writing and conducting the “Norwegian Radio Symphony
Orchestra” for
the Pattie LaBelle segment
of the program. A dream
comes true for any musician
on the
planet, particularly for this California resident.
