O.V. WRIGHT - The Complete Recorded Works By The Boss Of Southern Soul For Backbeat and ABC Labels

O.V. Wright is not only one of the best southern soul singer ever, he is also one of the most overlooked. O.V. Wright's work kind of reminds me of David Ruffin's solo career. These two really put their guts into everything they sung.Let's not mince words: O.V. Wright was the greatest deep-soul singer ever. By the time he cut his first secular recording, "That's How Strong My Love Is" for Goldwax Records of Memphis, Tennessee (1964), Wright was already a well-known and successful gospel singer, having sung and recorded with gospel groups such as the Spirit of Memphis Quartet and the Sunset Travelers. Wright is by no means the only artist to abandon the sanctuary of the church in search of the rewards and temptations of the secular world. The pop recordings of Sam Cooke, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and Johnnie Taylor all make overt or oblique reference to the trauma of this self-imposed exile. But in the work of no other artist, with the possible exception of Green, does this exile play so central a role. Wright's recordings are unmistakably the work of a spiritually troubled man. As if to underscore the gravity of his choice, Wright's secular recordings, more than those of any of his peers, cleave faithfully to the style, structure, and most importantly the feeling and fervor of the deepest and most heartfelt gospel music. The presence of this theme in all of his strongest performances--"You're Gonna Make Me Cry," "Eight Men, Four Women," "Everybody Knows (The River Song)," "Born All Over," "Heartaches, Heartaches," "Memory Blues"--give them a timeless universality that places them on a par with the hymns of Mahalia Jackson, the blues of Robert Johnson, or the country music of Hank Williams.

There were two distinct periods in Wright's 15-year secular career, delineated by the demise of his first record label, Back Beat, which had been owned and operated by the don of Houston rhythm and blues, Don Robey. Midway in his career, Wright migrated to Hi Records, where his longtime producer Willie Mitchell was the principal talent director. Few artists in any medium exhibit so huge a gap between artistic quality and commercial success as O.V. Wright. Wright's two most successful records, "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" and "Eight Men, Four Women," came early in his career at Back Beat, and neither recording received any airplay outside the circumscribed world of 1960s R&B radio. In fact, R&B radio in the late 1960s, the heyday of southern gospel-inflected soul music, is the only radio format during the years spanned by Wright's career in which it is possible to imagine Wright's chilling statements from the spiritual void finding a home. Wright is an artist whose reputation is destined to grow with the historical perspective afforded by time. (Billy Price)

So happy to have this incredible box set - while maybe unknown by the masses O.V. laid down the most beautiful hard hitting southern soul of any soul artist. Not a clunker in the bunch - how such a quality artist could be now almost unknown is very sad. (The Soul Detective)

INFO

http://www.billyprice.com/Wright.php

http://www.amazon.com/O-V-Box-Complete-Backbeat-Recordings/dp/B000WP0AXU

trax - 8 Men And 4 Women '68:

01 eight men and four women 02 why don't you believe me 03 can't find true love 04 don't want to sit down 05 everybody knows 06 i could write a book 07 wish i were that boy 08 bachelor's blues 09 you're gonna make me cry 10 monkey dog 11 you've been crying 12 i can't believe 13 motherless child 14 if it's only for tonight

trax - Nucleus Of Soul '68:

01 blowing in the wind 02 gonna forget about you 03 i have none 04 you're so good to me 05 why don't give me a chance 06 pledging my love 07 this hurt is real 08 i'll hate myself tomorrow 09 i'll take care of you 10 i want everyone to know 11 poor boy 12 i'm in your corner 13 gone for good 14 how long baby

trax - A Nickel and a Nail and Ace of Spades '71:

01 don't let my baby ride 02 born all over 03 ace of spade 04 eight men, four women 05 he made woman for man 06 i can't take it 07 afflicted 08 when you took your love from me 09 a nickel and a nail 10 don't take it away 11 ace of spades (alt. take 1) 12 ace of spades (alt. take 2) 13 ace of spades (melvin carter)

trax - Memphis Unlimited '73:

01 i've been seaching 02 nothing comes to a sleeper 03 the only thing that saved me 04 he's my son (just the same) 05 you must believe in yourself 06 lost in the shuffle 07 i'd rather be blind, cripple, and crazy 08 please forgive me 09 are you going where i'm coming from 10 ghetto child 11 memory blues 12 i'm going home (to live with god)

trax - Treasured Moments - 45's Special Collection:

01 that's how strong my love is 02 there goes my used to be 03 fed up with blues 04 treasured moments 05 heataches, heartaches 06 what about you 07 what did you tell this girl of mine 08 what did you tell this girl of mine (alt. take) 09 oh baby mine 10 working for game 11 missing you 12 love the way you love 13 drowning on dry land 14 what more can i do 15 henpecked man 16 nobody but you 17 slow and easy 18 without you

…Many Thanks To Jillem For This Share! served by Gyro1966...