Saturday, March 17   8:00 p.m.
Antone's   (213 W 5th St)

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Charles Wright

Charles Wright, musician, lyricist, producer, founder and leader of The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, has dedicated his life to sharing good times, good grooves and good messages. He has recently released Finally Got it Wright, a new 16-song CD that surveys some of the most profound R&B he�s written and recorded over the last three decades with various groups of live musicians. Enjoyable from end to end, every musical arrangement on Finally Got it Wright ( M$WM Records) imparts a mind-blowing experience.

�The making of this CD - music played by live musicians - is an attempt to bring at least some semblance of balance back to� the kind of music that we played before the introduction of the electronic drum machine in the 80s, which impeded the flow of a long musical traditions from before the grand orchestral jazz compositions of the Duke and the Count in the 30s and 40s thru the 50s, 60s and 70s Doo Wop, Soul and Funk.. Hip Hop brought the focus back through their sampling from that rich tradition. Now the original is back! Have mercy!� says Charles. An added remix version of Finally Got it Wright, is also available featuring, five brand new compositions by Wright, plus six compositions from the original CD, which Wright refers to as a bonus release.

In his pursuit of continuing creative excellence, Charles' Finally Got It Wright illustrates his extensive range within American music that pleases people of every shade of the rainbow. In the original version of Finally Got It Wright, Charles gets straight down to business with an updated dance mix of his greatest hit, Express Yourself. The Express Yourself video was shot at B.B. King�s club in Los Angeles, California, shining the spotlight on a highly enthusiastic melting pot audience.

While primarily known for his funk, Charles Wright indulges the love man inside of him on Finally Got it Wright with the sumptuous ballads You Babe, the blue lights in the basement corner grinder Is it Real, the dynamic Let Me Make Love to You (featuring the great Don �Sugarcane� Harris on violin) and No Greater Love (which uses the drum groove from Express Yourself in a gentler new way). Charles gives his playing chops a workout on the historic and appropriately titled So Hot (featuring James Jamerson Sr. on bass, Eddie �Bongo� Brown on percussion and Clydeen Jackson on piano), Wright�s patented food for thought numbers Follow Your Spirit and Unseen Dirt Still Hurts (the latter reminiscent of Zapp�s Doo Wah Ditty) are balanced out by the fun and comical Funk Junk in Your Trunk (with the instrumental version Funk Junk Pt. 2 featuring some tasty trumpet playing). This CD include two heart-on-sleeve romance gems: I�ll Give You Time and This is Your Night.

The remaining highlights are the novelties Doo Wop Man (on which he muses on the good old days and sweet vocal music), an updated version of his hit Love Land (this time with HIM singing the lead � drummer James Gadson sang on the original), and a CD-closing tribute to his first music mentor, the legendary Jesse Belvin, with a rendition of his classic Goodnight, My Love.

�I have called what I do �honest music: music actually lived by me.� That music - in the spirit of its creator, Mr. Louis Jordan - is Rhythm & Blues� whether you wanna call it Soul, Funk, Rock & Roll, Pop, Doo Wop, Country & Western or whatever. It�s all here, it�s all �expression� and it�s all good!� Says Charles.

Charles Wright was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The family moved to Los Angeles when Charles was 12, which swiftly led to his interest in music. He started on a piano that was in the second house his family moved into and, later graduated to vocals, guitar and bass.

As a teenager, Charles Wright led and composed for several Doo-Wop groups, beginning with The Twilighters (Eternally), The Shields (who peaked at #12 with You Cheated) then The Galahads (with Lonely Guy which peaked at #62 in Billboard magazine.

After a stint as A&R director for Delphi Records where he produced yet another hit, Those Oldies but Goodies (Remind Me of You) on Little Caesar and The Romans, Charles became one of Hollywood�s most sought after studio musicians while simultaneously becoming a nightclub sensation with his own band Charles Wright & The Wright Sounds. After recording renowned Los Angeles DJ Magnificent Montague�s theme song, Spreadin� Honey, he founded the history-making Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band � the first successful rhythm & blues act for the Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Record label, signed in 1967 at the behest of the label�s biggest Black star at the time, Mr. Bill Cosby. The �Watts� band backed Cosby on his first musical album, Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings.

Over six albums for Warner and three for ABC-Dunhill, Charles Wright � with and without the Watts 103rd Street Band � gained popularity from a string of popular `60s and `70s hits, including Express Yourself, Do Your Thing, Loveland, Your Love (Means Everything To Me) and the underground classic Ninety Day Cycle People.

His forthright bordering on preachin� singing voice, razor sharp rhythm grooves, good natured vibe, knack for putting together incomparable bands of musicians and his occasionally profound lyrics [dig his classic Comment (If All Men are Truly Brothers)] have given him a place of honor within the history book of S.O.U.L.

Charles Wright�s music has been covered by recording artists as wide ranging as the legendary Ray Charles, jazz great Les McCann, pop star Della Reese, late great Ohio funkateer Roger Troutman & Zapp, neo soul love man Musiq (Soul Child), former Monkees member Mickey Dolenz�and The Swiss Longine Symphony Orchestra! And with the uprising of hip hop in the `80s, many rap acts have lifted chunks of funk from Charles Wright wax, including N.W.A., A Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr, Brand Nubian, Naughty By Nature, Silk Da� Shocker and taste-maker/mogul Sean �P. Diddy� Combs.

The most enduring and lucrative of all of Charles Wright�s compositions is his summer of 1970 liberation anthem, Express Yourself. Over the years, it�s infectious rhythm and message have been co-opted to sell Nike shoes, Red Lobster dinners, Rhodes furniture, Gatorade sports drinks, Burger King �Whoppers� and Hanes underwear. Express Yourself sold Bit Burger Beer and Algida Ice Cream across Europe. Basketball�s Los Angeles Lakers showcase Express Yoursel� at the start-up of their games and the NBA featured the soul classic in its 2004 �I Love This Game� television campaign. Kinko�s uses Express Yourself in its International Marketing strategy, Kohl�s Clothing Store�s chose Express Yourself for its �Spring Fashion� theme, and �The Jenny Jones Show� copped it as a theme for an entire season. Express Yourself also provided the theme for both the Democratic National Convention and the 2004 Olympic Game�s celebrations.

Charles Wright also lays claim to some impressive motion picture soundtrack credits: from the pioneering `70s �blaxploitation� classic �Cotton Comes to Harlem� to Queen Latifah�s directorial debut, �The Cookout.� Whenever a film calls for an instantly recognizable slice of late `60s/early `70s period music, Charles right classics have been utilized in pictures such as �Panther� and �The People vs. Larry Flint.� His song Do Your Thing set the stage for a chilling plot turn in director Paul Thomas Anderson�s study of the `70s adult film industry, �Boogie Nights.� Most of the time, Wright�s music is used because it just makes audiences feel good�in everything from action/comedies like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie�s �Mr. & Mrs. Smith� to family flicks like �The Shaggy Dog� remake and the Steve Martin series �Cheaper By the Dozen.�

Most recently, Charles Wright has issued the CDs Going to the Party, Music for the Times We Live In and the blues album High Maintenance Woman on his own Million Dollars Worth of Memories Records label.

�The original, African-based gift of music to America is among this country�s greatest national treasures. However, the legacy of this gift is not being celebrated and appreciated as it should be. Even worse, the very musicians whom the young artists of today are imitating and sampling � many of them are dying in undeserved poverty and obscurity. Sadder still is that many people don�t even realize or care that this is happening. Anyone who cares to delve deeper into this will discover that the further we venture from the roots of our culture, the more confused we will become as a people, as a country and, ultimately, as a world,� says Charles.

For more information or to arrange interviews please contact ESP Public Relations at 310.827.9727. For more information on Charles Wright go to www.expressyourself.net or esppr@aol.com