Chely Wright

Artist Image: Chely Wright
Attribution
Image Credit: MTW65 (Own work), CC BY 3.0

Biography

Richell Rene "Chely" Wright (/ˈʃɛli ˈraɪt/; born October 25, 1970) is an American country music artist and gay rights activist. On the strength of her debut album in 1994, the Academy of Country Music (ACM) named her Top New Female Vocalist in 1995. Wright's first Top 40 country hit came in 1997 with "Shut Up and Drive". Two years later, her fourth album yielded a number one single, the title track, "Single White Female". Overall, Wright has released seven studio albums on various labels, and has charted more than fifteen singles on the country charts. As of May 2010, Wright's previous eight albums had sold over 1,000,000 copies in the United States. In May 2010, Wright became one of the first major country music performers to publicly come out as lesbian. In television appearances and an autobiography, she cited among her reasons for publicizing her homosexuality a concern with bullying and hate crimes toward gays, particularly gay teenagers, and the damage to her life caused by "lying and hiding". As a songwriter she has written songs that have been recorded by Brad Paisley, Richard Marx, Indigo Girls, Mindy Smith and Clay Walker, among them Walker's top ten hit, "I Can't Sleep" that won her a BMI award. On May 4, 2010, Wright simultaneously released her memoir, Like Me, and her first album of new songs since 2005, Lifted Off the Ground.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed
Number of Albums 16
Record Label
Website chelywright.musiccitynetworks.com
Wikipedia Chely Wright on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Genres

Country

Trivia

What year was Richell Rene Wright born?

1970

...Born Richell Rene Wright October 25, 1970 (age 51) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. She initially rose to fame as a commercial country recording artist wit...
What is the name of the number one hit single by Richell Wright?

Single White Female

...tist with several charting singles, including the number one hit, Single White Female . She later became known for her role in LGBT activism after publ...
How many digital impressions has Wright sold in the United States?

10,000,000

...ter publicly coming out. She has since sold over 1,500,000 copies and 10,000,000 digital impressions to date in the United States. Raised in Kansas, W...
Where was Wright raised?

Kansas

... 10,000,000 digital impressions to date in the United States. Raised in Kansas , Wright developed aspirations to become a country singer and songwriter...
What did Wright want to become as a child?

country singer and songwriter

.... Raised in Kansas, Wright developed aspirations to become a country singer and songwriter . Yet, as a young child, she discovered her homosexuality an...
What did Wright vow to hide?

her sexuality

...ming a performer. Determined to become successful, she vowed to hide her sexuality and continued performing. Wright moved to Nashville, Tennessee, fol...
Where did Wright move to after high school?

Nashville, Tennessee

... to hide her sexuality and continued performing. Wright moved to Nashville, Tennessee , following high school graduation and was cast in stage producti...
When did Wright sign her first recording contract?

1993

...SA amusement park. She eventually signed her first recording contract in 1993 with PolyGram Mercury Records and released two albums. With limited succ...
How many albums did Wright release?

two

...rst recording contract in 1993 with PolyGram Mercury Records and released two albums. With limited success, Wright switched record labels and had her ...
What was the name of the amusement park where Wright was cast?

Opryland USA

...chool graduation and was cast in stage productions at the nowdefunct Opryland USA amusement park. She eventually signed her first recording contract i...
On what date was Wright born?

October 25, 1970

...Born on October 25, 1970 , in Wellsville, KS; daughter of Stan Wright (owner of a construction business) and Cheri Smith. Wright's work ethic and downt...
What was the name of Wright's father?

Stan Wright

...Born on October 25, 1970, in Wellsville, KS; daughter of Stan Wright (owner of a construction business) and Cheri Smith. Wright's work ethic and downt...
What did Wright plan to be since she was four?

country music singer

...r 25, 1970, in rural Wellsville, Kansas, she had planned to be a country music singer since the age of four. Each morning when she woke up, Wright's m...
At what age did she ask for her family to move to Nashville?

nine

...her always had the radio tuned to a country music station. At the age of nine , her Christmas list included a doll and a request for her family to move...
When did she form her own band with her father as the bass player?

eleven

...t included a doll and a request for her family to move to Nashville; at eleven , she formed her own band with her father as the bass player. I always k...
What band did Rich perform with at night?

County Line Band

...nd it was the job I wanted to have. By the time she was 14, she traveled on weekends, performing at a variety of nightspots with the County Line Band ....
What is the zodiac sign of Chely Wright?

Scorpio

...e White Female. According to Astrologers, Chely Wright's zodiac sign is Scorpio . Richell Rene Wright (ˈ ʃ ɛ l i ˈ r aɪ t ; born October 25, 1970), kno...
Who is an American country singer and activist?

Richell Rene Wright

... According to Astrologers, Chely Wright's zodiac sign is Scorpio. Richell Rene Wright (ˈ ʃ ɛ l i ˈ r aɪ t ; born October 25, 1970), known professional...
When did Chely Wright release her debut album?

1994

...country music singer and activist. On the strength of her debut album in 1994 , the Academy of Country Music (ACM) named her Top New Female Vocalist in...
What did the Academy of Country Music (ACM) name her in 1995?

Top New Female Vocalist

...but album in 1994, the Academy of Country Music (ACM) named her Top New Female Vocalist in 1995. Wrights first Top 40 country hit came in 1997 with Sh...
How many studio albums has Wright released?

seven

...ngle, the title track, Single White Female. Overall, Wright has released seven studio albums on various labels, and has charted more than fifteen sing...
When did Chely Wright come out as a lesbian?

2010

...t earned her acclaim during the mid'90s. Wright came out as a lesbian in 2010 , a move unparalleled in country music that coincided with the release of...
What was the name of Wright's 2010 album?

Lifted Off the Ground

...unparalleled in country music that coincided with the release of Lifted Off the Ground , an album produced by Rodney Crowell. Lifted Off the Ground hig...
Who produced the album Lifted Off the Ground?

Rodney Crowell

...ded with the release of Lifted Off the Ground, an album produced by Rodney Crowell . Lifted Off the Ground highlighted Wright's redefining herself as a...
What instrument did Wright learn when she was four?

piano

...ht gravitated toward music at an early age. When she was four, she began piano lessons, picking up trumpet for the school band several years later, an...
What band did Wright sing professionally with when she was 14?

County Line

...he time she was 14, she was singing professionally with a band called County Line , which claimed her father as a bassist. Between her junior and senio...
When did Wright start to sing in vocal groups?

11

...ool band several years later, and starting to sing in vocal groups by age 11 . By the time she was 14, she was singing professionally with a band calle...
When did Wright perform at the Ozark Jubilee show?

Between her junior and senior years in high school

...unty Line, which claimed her father as a bassist. Between her junior and senior years in high school , Wright performed at Branson, Missouri's Ozark Ju...
What city did Wright call her home?

Kansas City

...out abandoning her distinctive blend of the past and present. Born in Kansas City in 1970 and raised in the nearby town of Wellsville, Kansas, Wright ...
What was Wright's first name?

Chely

...For a time, Chely Wright existed in the sweet spot between traditional and contemporary country, a gift that earned her acclaim during the mid'90s. Wr...
When was she born?

Kansas City Missouri

... Life Richell Rene Chely Wright was born on October 25, 1970, in Kansas City Missouri . Her music talent manifested at a very young age of four, and ac...
How many studio albums does she have to her credit?

eight

...Top New Female Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music in 1995. She has eight studio albums to her credit with fifty singles charting on the country ...
How many singles did Wright have on the country charts?

fifty

...of Country Music in 1995. She has eight studio albums to her credit with fifty singles charting on the country charts. She also released several EPs. ...
What was the number of digital impressions of Wright's albums?

10 million

...1999. She had sold over 1.5 million album copies as of 2010 and about 10 million digital impressions in the United States alltime. Wright disclosed he...
What did Wright want to come out of living in?

lies

...ng gay to the public in 2010, stating she wants to come out of living in lies . Early Life Richell Rene Chely Wright was born on October 25, 1970, in K...
In what year did she graduate from high school?

1989

...esolved become a country music singer. She graduated from high school in 1989 . Early Career Chely Wright started her career as a singer at an early ag...