Биография

Through an inimitable voice that The New York Times touts as, “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather,” Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America. For the listener, Wright’s songs embody a tradition that allows us to always feel at home. Wright culls inspiration from her Southern upbringing in Georgia where she was the musical director of a small church in which her father was the pastor. At the age of 22, Wright made a name for herself nationally as a vocalist with a touring concert tribute to Billie Holiday, where her poised performance stole the show. At 23, she signed with Verve Records for the release of Salt, which topped Billboard’s contemporary jazz charts. Her subsequent albums (Dreaming Wide Awake, The Orchard, Fellowship, Freedom & Surrender) continued to top the charts with her single “Lean In” (from Freedom & Surrender) landing on President Obama’s 2016 Summer Playlist. Produced by Americana icon Joe Henry, Wright’s latest full-length studio recording, GRACE (Concord Records; 2017), reveals the web of deep running roots of story and song that bind together the vastly diverse traditions that are the soul of the American South. In 2022, Wright launched an independent record company, Blues & Greens Records, with the release of Holding Space, a brilliant live album capturing a Berlin, Germany concert in 2018.