Ruben Wright (born 1937/8) is a musician and former bandleader from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He had an R&B Top 30 hit with " I'm Walking Out On You". He is also a songwriter. He also wrote the regional hit "

God Only Knows "God Only Knows" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, it is a Baroque pop, baroque-style love song distinguished for its harmonic innovation and complex ...

" for

The Capris The Capris are an American doo wop group who became a one-hit wonder in 1961 with " There's a Moon Out Tonight." They experienced a popularity and performing resurgence in the 1980s, when three members reformed and The Manhattan Transfer reco ...

in 1954.

Background

Wright was a member of an early 1950s group called The Uniques, in which he played piano. All of the members came from the same neighborhood. The group later evolved into the Capris. At that time the group's ages ranged from 15 to 16. In June 1954, the group was signed to

Gotham Records Gotham Records was an American record label formed by Sam Goode (Goody) and Ivin Ballen in New York City in 1946. In January 1948 Ballen acquired the interest of Goode and became the sole owner. He then moved the company to Philadelphia, Pennsylvani ...

, and recorded the Wright-penned "God Only Knows", featuring female singer Renee Hinton on lead. The Capris broke up after their final single in 1958, and Wright began his solo career.

Career

The single "Girls Make Me Nervous" bw "Love Is Gone" was released on the Wynne label in 1958. The B side "Love Is Gone" was composed by Eddie Warner and it has been suggested that some of the backing singers were members of The Capris. His next single "To You" bw "Bye Bye" was released on the Lancer label. In the early 1960s, he was a member of a backing group called The Manhattans. They backed a group called

The Larks The Larks were an American vocal group, active in the early 1950s. They were not the same group as the Los Angeles–based Larks (originally The Meadowlarks) featuring Don Julian, nor the Philadelphia-based group The Four Larks. Original membe ...

on the single " It's Unbelievable" bw "I Can't Believe It" which was released on the

Sheryl Sheryl is a female given name. The similar name Sherill may be male or female. Notable people named Sheryl, Sheryll or Sheryle include: Business *Sheryl Handler (born 1955), American businesswoman (Thinking Machines, Ab Initio Software) * Sher ...

label. Wright recorded 5 singles for the

Capitol Capitol, capitols or The Capitol may refer to: Places and buildings Legislative building * United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C. * National Capitol of Colombia, in Bogotá * Palacio Federal Legislativo, in Caracas, Venezuela * National Ca ...

label, beginning with "Where Was I" bw "Bye Bye" in 1964. In 1966, "I'm Walking Out On You" was released bw "Hey Girl". By May the 7th that year, "I'm Walking Out On You" was holding its second week in the Baltimore Top 40. By May 14, it had made the National R&B Top 40, and was at no 37. The June 18 edition of ''Billboard'' reported his single as a Regional Breakout in New York. However, its progress in the R&B Charts was doing well with the single, spending 6 weeks there, having made it to no 29 the previous week. In February 1967, ''Billboard'' reported that his Capitol single "I'll Be There" was predicted to reach the R&B Singles Chart. He composed "That's All That Counts" for The Four Larks which was released on the Uptown label that year. His last single released was "I'm Gonna Have My Day" bw "La La La" on the Virtue label.Classic Urban Harmony
''Echoes of the Past'', Issue #97, Philadelphia’s Original Capris by Charlie Horner
With contributions from Pamela Horner, Article page 12 Capris Related Discography, Singles by Ruben Wright
/ref>

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Ruben American soul singers Musicians from Philadelphia Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania Capitol Records artists African-American male composers African-American male singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters American pianists American rhythm and blues keyboardists Doo-wop musicians American male pianists Living people Year of birth uncertain African-American pianists