Johnnie Wright

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Johnnie Robert Wright, Jr. (born May 13, 1914), known professionally as Johnnie Wright, is an American country music singer-songwriter who spent much of his career working with Jack Anglin as the popular duo Johnnie and Jack, and is also the husband of Kitty Wells.

[edit] Biography

Born in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, Wright first performed with Anglin in 1936. In 1937, he married Kitty Wells. The two, along with Wright’s sister Louise, performed as Johnnie Wright and the Harmony Girls. In 1939, Wright and Anglin formed the duo Johnnie and Jack. They teamed up full-time in the 1940s and, except for the time Anglin spent overseas during World War II, remained together for more than 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 releasing 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.

[edit] Later years

In 1983, Wright and Wells 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, the duo performed their farewell concert at the Nashville Nightlife Theater in Nashville, Tennessee. They 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.