Lizz Wright (born January 22, 1980) is an American jazz/R&B singer
and composer.
Wright was born in the small town of Hahira in the US state of Georgia;
one of three children and the daughter of a minister and the musical
director of their Church. She started singing gospel music and
playing piano in church as a child, and also became interested in
jazz and blues. She attended Houston County High School, where she
was heavily involved in choral singing, receiving the National Choral
Award. She went on to Georgia State University in Atlanta to study
singing. Since then she has studied at The New School in New York,[citation
needed] and in Vancouver. She currently resides outside Hendersonville,
North Carolina.
Wright joined the Atlanta-based vocal quartet In the Spirit in 2000,
which soon achieved critical acclaim, and in 2002 she signed a recording
contact with Verve Records, where her musical compositions and vocal
style led her to be compared to that of Norah Jones.
Her first album, Salt, was released in the spring of 2003 (and reached
number two on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz chart in 2004).
Her next release was not a follow-up of her debut, but this record
maintained the jazz and pop blend, while incorporating folk music
to her musical blend.[1] Dreaming Wide Awake in June 2005 (which
reached number one on the Top Contemporary Jazz chart in 2005 and
2006). In 2008, Wright released The Orchard to positive reviews.
Contents
[show]
[edit] Solo releases
2003: Salt
2005: Dreaming Wide Awake
2008: The Orchard
2010: Fellowship
[edit] Guest vocal contributions
"No One But Myself to Blame" and "Fool's Gold" on
The Pecan Tree by Joe Sample (2002)
"...Till Then" and "Fiddle and the Drum" on ...Till Then
by Danilo Perez (2003)
"Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" on Closer by David Sanborn (2005)
"Come Rain or Come Shine" on One More for the Road by Toots Thielemans
(2006)
"Freedom" on Supply and Demand by Amos Lee (2006) [back vocals]
"Reaching for the Moon" on We All Love Ella. Celebrating the First
Lady of Song (2007)
"Whispering Pines (with Jakob Dylan)" on Endless Highway – A
Tribute to the Band (2007)
"Stillness: Winterhouse" on Persona by Massimo Biolcati (2008)