Bernard Wright (November 16, 1963 – May 19, 2022) was an American funk and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

keyboardist and singer who began his career as a session musician and later released four solo albums.

Biography

Wright was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York. In the liner notes to his debut album '' 'Nard'', he stated that his mother is Lessie Wright. His godmother was singer

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Feel Like Makin' Love", "Wher ...

. He attended the High School of Performing Arts in New York. His classmates included writer

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and gospel recording artist Desiree Coleman Jackson. He was offered a slot touring with Lenny White when he was 13, and he played with Tom Browne at the age of 16.

Bernard Wright Bernard Wright (November 16, 1963 – May 19, 2022) was an American funk and jazz keyboardist and singer who began his career as a session musician and later released four solo albums. Biography Wright was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York. I ...

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GRP Records GRP® Records (Grusin-Rosen Productions) is a jazz record label founded by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen in 1978. Distributed by Verve Records, GRP® was originally known for its digital recordings that focuses on its jazz genre. History With G ...

signed him in 1981 and released his debut album '' 'Nard'', tracks from which were prominently sampled in hits by

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, Snoop Dogg,

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, and LL Cool J. The album was re-released in 2001. He followed with ''Funky Beat'' (1983) on Arista and '' Mr. Wright'' (1985) on

Manhattan Records Manhattan Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and operates as a branch of Capitol Music Group. Company history Manhattan Records was formed in 1984 by Bruce Lundvall and was later renamed EMI Manhattan Records af ...

. The latter of these albums included his biggest R&B appearance, " Who Do You Love", for which a video was made that is featured in the title sequence of '' Video Music Box''. In 1990 he released the gospel album ''Fresh Hymns'', followed by ''Brand New Gospel Format'' in 1991, and ''Fresh Hymns II'' in 1992. He released an album with Sadao Watanabe, titled ''Go Straight Ahead' N Make A Left'', in 1997. In 2000 he formed a trio with Alfredo Elias and Damon Banks and released the album ''Back To Our Roots''. Wright also appeared on recordings by musicians including Miami Mike Devine Pennington,

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, Cameo,

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, Pieces of a Dream, Charles Earland, Marcus Miller, and

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. After his recording days, Wright continued playing keyboards in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, where he mentored younger artists. 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.

Discography

;Source

Albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Bernard 1963 births 2022 deaths African-American musicians American boogie musicians American funk keyboardists American jazz keyboardists American jazz singers Arista Records artists GRP Records artists Manhattan Records artists Musicians from Miami Jamaica Boys members People from Jamaica, Queens Road incident deaths in Texas