Bernard Wright (November 16, 1963 – May 19, 2022) was an Americanfunk andjazz keyboardist and singer who began his career as a session musician and later released four solo albums.
Bernard Wright | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Nard |
| Born | (1963-11-16)November 16, 1963 Jamaica, Queens,New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 19, 2022(2022-05-19) (aged 58) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Gospel,Post-disco,Jazz,Contemporary R&B,Jazz fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Musician,singer,songwriter |
| Instruments | Keyboards, vocals |
| Years active | 1980–2022 |
| Labels | |
Biography
editWright was born inJamaica, Queens,New York.[1] In the liner notes to his debut album'Nard, he stated that his mother is Lessie Wright.[2] Hisgodmother was singerRoberta Flack.[3]
He attended theHigh School of Performing Arts in New York.[4] His classmates included writerCarl Hancock Rux and gospel recording artist Desiree Coleman Jackson. He was offered a slot touring withLenny White when he was 13, and he played withTom Browne at the age of 16.[5]
GRP Records signed him in 1981 and released his debut album'Nard, tracks from which were prominently sampled in hits byDr. Dre,Snoop Dogg,Skee-Lo, andLL Cool J.[6] The album was re-released in 2001. He followed withFunky Beat (1983) onArista andMr. Wright (1985) onManhattan Records. The latter of these albums included his biggestR&B appearance, "Who Do You Love", for which a video was made that is featured in the title sequence ofVideo Music Box. The female vocalist was Marla Adler.[7] In 1990 he released the gospel albumFresh Hymns, followed byBrand New Gospel Format in 1991, andFresh Hymns II in 1992. He released an album withSadao Watanabe, titledGo Straight Ahead' N Make a Left, in 1997. In 2000 he formed a trio with Alfredo Elias and Damon Banks and released the albumBack to Our Roots.[8]
Wright also appeared on recordings by musicians including Miami Mike Devine Pennington,Doug E. Fresh,Cameo,Bobby Brown,Pieces of a Dream,Charles Earland,Marcus Miller, andMiles Davis. After his recording days, Wright continued playing keyboards inDallas, where he mentored younger artists.[9]
Bernard Wright died on May 19, 2022, at the age of 58, after being hit by a car while crossing a street in Dallas. He was married to Anita Wright for nearly 40 years and is survived by his children Bernard Jr., Christopher, and Victoria Wright.[10]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [11] | US R&B [11] | US Jazz [11] | ||
| 1981 | 'Nard | 116 | 53 | 7 |
| 1983 | Funky Beat | — | 58 | — |
| 1985 | Mr. Wright | — | 25 | — |
| 1990 | Fresh Hymns | — | — | — |
| 1991 | Brand New Gospel Format | — | — | — |
| 1992 | Fresh Hymns II | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [11] | US Dance [11] | |||||
| 1981 | "Just Chillin' Out" | 33 | 85 | |||
| "Haboglabotribin'" | 78 | — | ||||
| 1982 | "Won't You Let Me Love You" | 88 | — | |||
| 1983 | "Funky Beat" | 39 | — | |||
| 1985 | "Who Do You Love" | 6 | 44 | |||
| "After You" | 23 | — | ||||
| "Yo 'Nard" | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||
References
edit- ^Decurtis, Anthony (March 23, 1997)."Two Seasoned Voices, Together Raised for a Cause".The New York Times.
- ^'Nard (Liner notes).Arista Records. 1981.
- ^Abraham, Mya (May 20, 2022)."Bernard Wright, Funk and Jazz Singer and Godson of Roberta Flack, Dead at 58".Vibe. RetrievedMay 21, 2022.
- ^"Fiorello laguardia alumni". Archived fromthe original on April 8, 2014. RetrievedNovember 20, 2015.
- ^Kellman, Andy."Bernard Wright Biography".AllMusic.
- ^"Sunday Selection: LL Cool J and Bernard Wright - "Who Do You Love?"".Hip-Hop News, Rumors, Rap Music & Videos |AllHipHop. December 27, 2009. RetrievedNovember 21, 2015.
- ^"The Wright Stuff".Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 51. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 21, 1985. p. 2.ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^Lopez, Jeff (March 25, 2000)."Bernard Wright returns with jazz trio Too BAD Juna debut".Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 13. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 26.ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^Quinn, Peter (November 9, 2014)."10 Questions for Musician Michael League".Theartsdesk.com. RetrievedNovember 20, 2015.
- ^"In Memoriam: Funk, jazz legend Bernard Wright dies at 58". Defender Network. May 25, 2022. RetrievedOctober 27, 2022.
- ^abcde"Bernard Wright - Awards". AllMusic. Archived fromthe original on October 14, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 25, 2024.
External links
edit- Bernard Wright discography atDiscogs
