Johnnie Wright

Singer/songwriter Johnnie Wright (born Johnnie Robert Wright, Jr. on May 13, 1914 in Mount Juliet, Tennessee) spent much of his career working with Jack Anglin in the popular duo Johnnie & Jack, and is also the husband of Kitty Wells.

He first performed with Anglin in 1936. In 1937, Wright married Kitty Wells (born Ellen Muriel Deason). The two of them, along with Wright’s sister Louise, performed as Johnnie Wright and the Harmony Girls. In 1939, Wright and Jack Anglin formed the duo Johnnie & Jack. They teamed up full-time in the 1940s and, except for the time Anglin spent overseas during World War II, remained together for over two decades.

In 1952, Johnnie & Jack’s "Poison Love" took them to the Grand Ole Opry, where the duo, along with Wells, were invited to join and where they remained for 15 years. Following Anglin's death in an automobile accident in 1963, Wright continued performing and making records.

In 1964, he and his Tennessee Mountain Boys had a Top 25 hit with "Walkin', Talkin', Cryin', Barely Beatin' Broken Heart." The following year, he had success with "Hello Vietnam," a number one hit. In 1968, he and Wells recorded an autobiographical duet, "We'll Stick Together," and continued playing live shows together through the early 1980s.

In 1983, Johnnie and Kitty opened the Family Country Junction Museum and Studio in their hometown of Madison, Tennessee. They closed the museum in October 2000, but their grandson, John Sturdivant, Jr. kept the Junction Recording Studio operating.

In 1992, the couple and their son Bobby began playing together again. On December 31, 2000, Johnnie and his wife Kitty performed their farewell concert at the Nashville Nightlife Theater in Nashville, Tennessee. Country music's most revered couple played to a full house of fans, family and friends that included Ricky Skaggs, The Whites, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Leona Williams, Larry Stephenson, Tommy Cash, Jack Greene, Jean Shepard and comedian/impressionist Johnny Counterfit.

External links

* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:o0djvwrva9rk~T1 Biography of Johnnie & Jack on allmusic.com]