Michelle Wright

Biography

Michelle Wright (born July 1, 1961) is a Canadian country music artist. She won the Canadian Country Music Association's Fans' Choice Award twice (1993 and 1995). In 2011, Wright was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
Wright's primary success has been in her native Canada, where she has charted more than twenty-five singles, including six Number One hits: "Take It Like a Man", "One Time Around", "Guitar Talk", "One Good Man", "Nobody's Girl" and "Crank My Tractor". She also had chart success in the United States in the 1990s, landing in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts with "Take It Like a Man" at No. 10, "He Would Be Sixteen×He Would Be Sixteen1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHe Would Be Sixteen3:45BThe Change3:44" at No. 31 and "New Kind of Love" at No. 32.

Early life

Michelle Wright was born on July 1, 1961, in Chatham, Ontario. Wright grew up in the small nearby town of Merlin where her parents were both local music performers. By 1980, when Wright was in college studying counseling for the mentally disadvantaged, she joined a local band with whom she performed until 1983.
That year Wright started her own band. She performed with her own band until 1988. In 1985, while performing with her band, Wright signed a record deal with Savannah Records. The next year she released her debut single, "I Want to Count on You", which peaked at No. 48 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
Wright's debut album, Do Right by Me×Do Right By MeStudio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1The Rhythm Of Romance3:572Do Right By Me4:063I Want To Count On You3:314I Wish I Were Only Lonely4:055A Good Man Is Hard To Find2:366Rock Me Gently3:317New Fool At An Old Game3:328With A Love Like Yours3:359I Don't Want To Wonder4:0610Reaching For The Stars3:59, was issued in 1988 and produced seven more singles, including Wright's cover of the 1974 Andy Kim hit, "Rock Me Gently", which reached No. 7 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The album's success in Canada led to a record contract with Arista Nashville. Wright became one of the label's flagship artists.

1990–1993: Breakthrough success

In April 1990, Wright's first American single, "New Kind of Love", was issued and became her first "Top Five" hit in Canada, in addition to peaking at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in the United States. Her second album, Michelle Wright, was released in July 1990. To support the album, Wright was added as an opening act to Kenny Rogers 1991 tour. The album became a success in Canada.
That year, 1990, Wright was awarded Female Artist of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association. The following year she was awarded Album of the Year for Michelle Wright, Single of the Year for "New Kind of Love", and Female Artist of the Year again by the Canadian Country Music Association.
Due to the success of her album Michelle Wright and single "New Kind of Love," Wright relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1991 to spend more time advancing her career. When in Nashville, Wright began to record her third album, Now and Then, released in May 1992. The album's first single, "Take It Like a Man", became an instant hit, reaching No. 1 in Canada on the RPM Country Tracks chart and No. 10 in the United States on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. In Canada, the song also crossed over to the adult contemporary charts, peaking at No. 18. The song received the Single of the Year award from the Canadian Country Music Association in late 1992.
In 1993, the album earned Wright the award for Top New Female Vocalist from the Academy of Country Music. She appeared on the CBS television special, Women of Country, where she performed "Take It Like a Man" and the Mary Chapin Carpenter song, "The Hard Way," with several other artists including Carpenter. Now and Then went on to produce six more singles, including the Canadian number one hits "One Time Around" and "Guitar Talk". The album also contained the single, "He Would Be Sixteen×He Would Be Sixteen1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAHe Would Be Sixteen3:45BThe Change3:44", which reached No. 31 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and No. 3 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. It was awarded Single of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association in 1993. Also in 1993, Wright won the Fans' Choice Award from Canadian Country Music Association, which she would also win in 1995.

1994–1999: Further success

Wright's fourth album, The Reasons Why×The Reasons WhyStudio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1One Good Man3:412Safe in the Arms of Love3:323We've Tried Everything Else3:554Cold Kisses4:085The Reasons Why I'm Gone3:136Try Getting Over You3:587Where Do We Go From Here3:548Tell Me More3:019The Wall3:3110The Old Song and Dance3:34, was released in September 1994 in Canada. Plans for the album to be released in the United States were delayed and eventually cancelled. The album was also released in Europe after Wright completed a successful tour in mid-1994. In early 1995, Wright embarked on a 40-city tour in Canada, which at that time was the most extensive tour in the history of country music in Canada.
In August 1996, Wright released her fifth album, For Me It's You, following the release of the first single, "Nobody's Girl", which reached No. 1 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks and No. 57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The album marked Wright's first album to be released in the American market in four years. The album went on to be successful in Canada, producing three Top Five singles in "Crank My Tractor", "The Answer Is Yes", and "What Love Looks Like". The album was not a success in the United States. In a 1997 interview with Jam!, Wright admitted that she was "very disappointed" and "not happy with what [U.S. radio] did with this album".
During 1997, Wright was awarded the C.F. Martin Humanitarian Award by the Canadian Country Music Association for her international work with the Special Olympics; her successful fundraising efforts for St. Joseph's Hospital in Chatham, Ontario, the hospital where she was born; and her support for the Manitoba flood relief fund.
In 1999, U.S. radio welcomed Wright back when her 1997 duet with pianist Jim Brickman was released to radio. The song, "Your Love", failed at country radio, but gave Wright her only American adult contemporary hit when the song peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. Despite the song's success at AC radio, it would be Wright's last charting single in the United States.
In October 1999, Wright's first greatest hits album, The Greatest Hits Collection×the Greatest Hits CollectionAlbum · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1New Kind of Love3:572All You Really Wanna Do3:183Take It Like A Man3:574He Would Be Sixteen3:445Guitar Talk3:346Now & Then3:487One Good Man3:408Safe In The Arms of Love3:319Nobody's Girl3:1910What Love Looks Like3:1911The Answer Is Yes3:4112People Get Ready3:2513Your Love3:4214Walkin' After Midnight3:2615When I Found You3:4116I Surrender3:37, was released in Canada. The album included two new songs, "I Surrender" and "When I Found You", both of which were Top Ten hits on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. In 2000, Arista Nashville released the American version of her 1999 greatest hits album in the United States. The album contained a different track list than the Canadian version. The album was Wright's final release with Arista Nashville.

2000–present: Success today

In 2002, Wright was transferred to RCA Records/ViK. Recordings. That year she released her sixth studio album, Shut Up and Kiss Me×Shut Up and Kiss Me25 June 2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1I Surrender3:402Shut Up and Kiss Me3:303Still No Shangri-la4:394Broken4:055Every Time You Come Around3:406Find It in New York4:127Thank You for Your Love4:038Love Is the Only Way4:089Could You Be4:2910Sorry4:1711I Will Be There3:3612Circle of Life4:17, in June 2002. The album showed Wright in a more pop-driven styled than her previous work. Wright co-wrote eight of the album's twelve songs, and recorded songs by successful songwriters such as Shelly Peiken, who wrote pop singer Christina Aguilera's 1999 hit, "What a Girl Wants". Shut Up and Kiss Me also contained a more pop-oriented version of her 2000 single, "I Surrender." This version had been used for the song's music video and pop radio release.
In 2004, Wright started her annual Christmas tour, Dreaming of a Wright Christmas. A year later Wright signed with Icon Records and in October 2005, she released her first Christmas album, A Wright Christmas×A Wright Christmas25 October 2005 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas4:212Jingle Bell Rock2:103Joy to the World4:084I Know Santa's Been Here2:005Little Drummer Boy3:356Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer3:227The Christmas Song3:428Silent Night4:129Go Tell It on the Mountain2:5210Winter Wonderland3:3811O Come All Ye Faithful3:2412White Christmas3:22 in Canada. The album featured covers of eleven Christmas songs and one new song, "I Know Santa's Been Here", written by Canadian country singer Patricia Conroy. The song was issued as the album's first single in December 2005. A Wright Christmas was released digitally in the United States 2007 and Europe in 2008.
In June 2006, Wright returned to country music by releasing her first new album in four years, Everything and More×Everything and More4 July 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Everything and More3:292Dance in the Boat3:043Riding Around the Sun2:544I Don't Wanna Be That Strong3:335In the Blink of an Eye3:516I've Forgotten You3:487Love Me Anyway3:538Something Wild3:569You Can't Lose Them All3:1510My Give a Damn's Busted3:0811Like an Angel3:3212Voodoo3:08 in Canada. In 2007, Everything and More was made available digitally in United States.
In 2011, Savannah Music Canada released Wright's first live album, The Wright Songs: An Acoustic Evening with Michelle Wright×The Wright Songs: An Acoustic Evening With Michelle Wright22 November 2011 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1In The Blink Of An Eye4:262I Surrender3:493You Can't Lose Them All3:164What Love Looks Like3:135He Would Be Sixteen3:516Something Wild4:007Crank My Tractor3:108I Don't Wanna Be That Strong3:369Safe In The Arms Of Love3:2910Guitar Talk4:1711Your Love3:5112The Old Song And Dance4:0613I've Forgotten You4:1314Broken4:0715Nobody's Girl3:4616Take It Like A Man4:4217Everything And More4:34. The album features seventeen tracks, including singles and unreleased album cuts.
Wright released a new single, "Another Good Day," to Canadian country radio on April 24, 2012. She released a new single entitled "Strong×Strong9 July 2013 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Strong3:002Crazy Stupid Love2:543One of These Days3:414What's Better Than This3:295Laugh a Little2:506She's a Keeper3:597Another Good Day3:548Together Forever3:299Walkin' on a Heart That's Breakin'2:5710Back to You2:5311I'll Cry Too4:02" to radio in April 2013. Wright's first album of original material in seven years, Strong, was released on July 9, 2013.
In 2015, Wright signed with Chuck Thompson, President of the Nashville-based Thompson Entertainment Group, for management.
In 2018, she signed with Navigator Records and the label released her first brand new music since the release of Strong. "Lovin' This Day" and "Attitude Is Everything" were released as singles with an "old-school" A side song and a B side song configuration across all digital platforms on the Navigator Records label.
For 2019, Navigator released Wright's recording of the holiday classic "Silver Bells," produced by fellow Canadian Bob Funk, to launch the A Wright Christmas: 2019 with concert dates across Alberta and Ontario.
Wright's newest album, titled "Milestone×Milestone26 August 2022 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Small Town3:042Everything To Me3:563Heartbeat3:504Heartbreak Song3:595I'm With You3:206Lovin' This Day4:227Beautiful Thing4:028Faithless Kind3:199Attitude Is Everything4:0210Take It Like A Man4:03" was released on August 26, 2022. The album features nine new tracks, followed by a new recording of her 1992 hit, "Take It Like a Man."
In October, 2023 she was inducted into the Chatham-Kent Cultural Hall of Fame for her contributions to country music as a singer/songwriter.

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Induction

In 2011, Wright was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame at a special gala dinner and award ceremony in Hamilton, Ontario. Wright, the year's artist inductee, was recognized for her outstanding contributions to Canada's country music landscape. Wright has been acknowledged within the collections of the National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta since 2014.

Other work

Wright appeared as a country music star in an episode in Season 4 of the Canadian TV series Due South. The episode, entitled "Mountie Sings the Blues," deals with the Mountie's efforts to protect Wright's character, Tracy Jenkins, from a stalker. She sings "Nobody's Girl" at the conclusion of the episode.