Interview with Kim Cyr and John Marshall
Photos by Kim Cyr
Michelle Wright Girlfriends Getaway Weekend at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville
Photo Credits Kim Cyr KCM-LIVE Magazine
Deerhurst Resort's 10th Annual Girlfriend’s Getaway Weekend with Michelle Wright
I had the chance to sit down with John Marshall (CKNX, AM 920) and Canadian country music artist, ‘Michelle Wright’ before she hit the stage for Girlfriend’s Getaway Weekend at Deerhurst Resort, in Huntsville.
Michelle Wright at Deerhurst Resort Photo Credit Kim Cyr KCM-LIVE.com Magazine
Michelle Wright at Deerhurst Resort Photo Credit Kim Cyr KCM-LIVE.com Magazine
Michelle Wright at Deerhurst Resort Photo Credit Kim Cyr KCM-LIVE.com Magazine
Michelle Wright at Deerhurst Resort Photo Credit Kim Cyr KCM-LIVE.COM Magazine
Michelle Wright at Deerhurst Resort Photo Credit Kim Cyr KCM-LIVE.com Magazine
Michelle Wright at Deerhurst Resort Photo Credit Kim Cyr KCM-LIVE.com Magazine
Michelle Wright is one of the country’s most widely recognized female country artists spanning her extremely successful career over 25 years. Not many artists of any genre can say that. Michelle 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”.
"Take It Like a Man" Michelle Wright Click Here
Michelle is the first Canadian born artist in the modern era of country music to have a top ten hit in America with “Take It Like a Man”, in 1992 and a number one video on CMT, USA with (Take It Like a Man). She also won a major U.S. music industry award (Academy of Music Top New Female Artist, 1993).). In September 2011, Michelle was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
Michelle was performing at Deerhurst Resort for the 10th Annual Girlfriends Getaway Weekend in Huntsville spending time with her mom, sister and her niece. Michelle was born in Chatham, Ontario. Wright grew up in the small nearby town of Merlin where her parents were both local music performers. This was a great opportunity to spend some quality time with her family as well as perform at the lady’s weekend.
"He Would Be 16" Michelle Wright Click Here
Wright has spent 35 years on the road in her career. That is incredible and she isn't slowing down.
The lady's of the Girlfriends' Getaway Weekend, partied along with Michelle Wright as she performed some of her greatest hits like 'Take It Like a Man' , 'Safe in the Arms of Love', 'I Surrender', 'Shut Up and Kiss Me', 'He Would Be 16, and 'Laugh a Little', to name a few. The cowgirl crowd was on their feet singing, dancing and having a fantastic time at Deerhurst Resort on Saturday night, November 5, 2016.
"Shut Up and Kiss Me" Michelle Wright Click Here
Spending time in this part of the woods brought back a lot of memories for Wright.
“My earliest memories of music are singing in the car … or spending the weekend with my father after my parents separated, and watching him put on a rhinestone-studded suit to perform in,” says Michelle.
The country queen from Chatham-Kent’s community of Merlin also went back to where it all started for her career earlier this year. On Sept 9, 2016, she performed at the CCMA Legends Show and the CCMA Award Show, in London, Ontario.
London holds a special place in Wright's heart because it started her career internationally with 'Take It Like a Man' the hit maker says.
That start goes back at least 30 years to a contest that kick-started Wright’s career which provided her with the startup money she needed to record her music.
The Legends show at Centennial Hall represented a very special moment with Michelle Wright and her past with fellow CCMA Hall of Famer Marie Bottrell of London. In London, all those years ago, Marie Bottrell gave the young Wright the chance of a lifetime forward to the present, these two stars met once again on the London stage doing the very same thing that Bottrell had done for Michelle Wright. The Legends were on stage with the rising stars of today.
Wright was paired for duet purposes with Nashville — and Toronto-based rising star Jessica Mitchell, a former Londoner.
“I will just tell you that I’m a massive Jessica Mitchell fan. I hosted a talent show for the Ontario country music awards . . . she was the last one to get up. I was like, ‘Oh boy, we have just seen something, people. Did you just see what we just saw?’ ” Wright said.
A 2016 CCMA Awards nominee, Mitchell has been writing songs with Canadian country star Patricia Conroy, Wright’s “dearest friend.” Conroy and Mitchell are part of the creative team behind Mitchell’s new single 'Workin’ On Whiskey'.
However Wright and Mitchell were teamed during Country Music Week at venues in and around London, Wright’s return brings up memories of the night back in the day when Bottrell stepped up for the young Wright — just as Wright praised Mitchell more recently. Bottrell was already a two-time CCMA female vocalist of the year with such hits as 'The Star' when she heard Wright in what turned out to be a magic moment.
“Marie Bottrell was a judge on the panel the 1986 Country Roads talent contest organized by London radio station BX93. Marie Bottrell stood up for the young Wright and said, ‘That girl right there, she’s the one you need to be picking.’ Marie Bottrell fought for Wright quoting, ‘There’s your talent.’ ”
The judges heeded Bottrell’s words. Wright won the contest — and the cash. The prize helped the then 24-year-old pay for studio time as she recorded three songs by Nashville songwriters Rick Giles and Steve Bogard.
The singles led to her first album, 1988’s Do Right By Me — a play on words that may just have gone gold as an album in 2016.
"Do Right By Me" Michelle Wright Click Here
Wright’s 'Right' album produced hit singles and Nashville came calling. She won seven CCMA Awards — out of 14 nominations — in 1991.
Without that contest and without winning and without Marie Bottrell being there and everything being in place, who knows what would have happened to Wright and her career today.
Her last album, 2013’s Strong, arrived just in time for the album thing to disappear into the rear view mirror. Singles and downloads and country’s much younger demographic for fans and stars are the new reality.
Still, Wright keeps looking ahead. She is creating new songs and hears the soul, R&B and pop blend she has always loved in current country hits.
One of them is Thomas Rhett’s 'Die A Happy Man', a hit she saluted while chatting with Rhett’s father, country singer Rhett Akins.
“That is just straight-up flat-out soul, R&B country,” Wright said of the Rhett hit.
Wright hears the same country-plus-soul sound in Sam Hunt and other stars.
Michelle is currently in the studio writing and recording some new material with Bob Funk, the husband of Patricia Conroy, who is Michelle’s dear friend.
“Bob Funk has been after me for over ten year’s to get into the studio to do something but because we are good friends and because I love these people so much, I wasn’t sure about mixing business with pleasure," says Wright.
"I will tell you that guy is kicking my butt because what he is saying to me, that I am quite excited about, is that you know there ‘s the Michelle Wright approach to things that you have done throughout your whole career, so why don’t we experiment with some vocal ideas. I said, ‘that’s fantastic but what does that mean exactly”?
“We tried a few things and it really has given me some new tools to use as a vocalist and I am actually really really excited because I think it’s the first time ever in my career as a singer on record that I have ever been challenged as much as I am being challenged right now. He has a great ear and he has some great ideas. It’s not unlike Shania Twain and Mutt Lange with what they did by taking an artist that’s got that talent and than helping them to create something unlike they ever thought they could do and that’s what I am really excited about".
Michelle Wright at Deerhurst Resort Photo Credit Kim Cyr KCM-LIVE.COM Magazine
To hear the rest of the interview, please click here
Now that Michelle is in the studio recording and writing new material, we can't wait to hear what this seasoned artist comes up with next.
For all the photos from this event, please click here
For all Michelle Wrights information, please click www.michelle-wright.com
For Michelle Wright Facebook, please click here
For all Michelle Wright Music, please click here
Written by Kim Cyr
Podcast Interview