Willie Wright

William C. Gathright (July 7, 1939 – June 29, 2020), known professionally as Willie Wright, was an American soul singer and songwriter, best known for his "rediscovered" 1977 album, Telling the Truth.

Early life Wright was born William Gathright on July 7, 1939 in Belen, Quitman County, Mississippi. His family moved frequently during his childhood, living in Osceola, Arkansas, before settling in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1951, the family relocated to Manhattan's Upper East Side.

In his teens he sang with friends George Bragg and Harry Jensen in a Harlem doo-wop group, The Persuaders. The three later formed the Willie Wright Trio. Wright then began performing as a solo singer and songwriter in clubs in Greenwich Village, and also played flute with The Three Degrees.

In 1967 Wright relocated to the Boston area after accepting a regular engagement at Brandy's Boston. Alongside his musical career, he briefly operated a record shop and later co-owned an Allston counterculture store called The Cellar, which became a gathering place for local musicians and artists. The album included both studio recordings and live performances recorded at the Boston Tea Party. Although it received little commercial attention at the time of its release, the album later became sought after by record collectors.

In 1976 he began performing for tourists and vacationers at Nantucket. He decided to move there, and started to write more songs. In 1977, he recorded his second album, Telling the Truth, during a single day's session at Variety Recording Studio in New York City with Harry Jensen and George Bragg. The album was recorded at low cost in exchange for the singer recording some commercials, The interest that this generated, including comparisons with Bill Withers,