Luther Wright and the Wrongs
Encyclopedia
History
The band began as a side project for Wright when he was a member of Weeping TileWeeping Tile (band)
Weeping Tile was a Canadian rock band in the 1990s.-History:The band was started by singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer in 1993, when she was invited to fill in for the opening band at a Thomas Trio and the Red Albino concert in Ottawa...
. When that band amicably parted ways following their 1998 recording This Great Black Night
This Great Black Night
This Great Black Night is a 1998 EP by Weeping Tile.It was recorded following the band's departure from Warner Music Canada. It was sold only at live shows; the band toured that year as a supporting act for Ani DiFranco....
, the Wrongs became Wright's primary band. The band membership has shifted a number of times since its inception. Original members Wright, Cam Giroux (drums), Sean Kelly (bass), Brian Flynn (fiddle), Dan Curtis (electric guitar) and Olesh Maximew (pedal steel guitar) toured Canada and established themselves on the burgeoning alt-country scene. Consistent contributors and guests include Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.-Biography:Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she...
, Jason Mercer
Jason Mercer
Jason Mercer is a multi-instrumental Canadian musician playing double bass, electric bass, banjo and guitar.He was a member of the alternative rock band Bourbon Tabernacle Choir in the 1980s and 1990s...
, Chris Brown and Suzie Ungerleider
Suzie Ungerleider
Suzie Ungerleider, who writes and performs under the name Oh Susanna, is an American-Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. Born in the United States, she was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia and is currently based in Toronto.-Bio:...
. Pedal steel player Burke Carroll joined the band in 2001 and was followed by Columbus, Ohio based fiddler Megan Palmer. Since 2004 mandolin player Dan Whiteley has been a full time member of the Wrongs and the band has also been joined by fiddler Miranda Mulholland, bassist James Taylor, drummers Mauro Sepe and Casey Fisher and recently vocalist and pianist Emily Fennell.
The band's debut album, Hurtin' for Certain, recorded at Grant Avenue studio in Hamilton, was released in 1997 on Snakeye Muzak. Guelph based D.R.O.G. records released Roger's Waltz in 1999. Both of these albums are original roots/country efforts with the songs written primarily by Wright. Guitarist Dan Curtis added two songs to Roger's Waltz, one a snappy duet entitled "Celia" with Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.-Biography:Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she...
.
The band's best-known album, Rebuild the Wall
Rebuild the Wall
Rebuild the Wall is a 2001 album by Canadian alternative country band Luther Wright and the Wrongs. The album is a cover of Pink Floyd's progressive rock classic The Wall, reimagining each track as a bluegrass country song.-Track listing:...
, was released in 2001 on Back Porch Records. It is a track-by-track reimagining of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
classic The Wall
The Wall
The Wall is the eleventh studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. Released as a double album on 30 November 1979, it was subsequently performed live with elaborate theatrical effects, and adapted into a feature film, Pink Floyd—The Wall.As with the band's previous three...
as a bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
country album.
The band signed with Universal Records Canada and Back Porch Records in the U.S. and embarked on a North American tour to perform their version of the wall, intermixed with their own compositions.
Their fourth album, Guitar Pickin' Martyrs, was also released on Back Porch in 2003.
In 2006 the band released Instrumentality on Hardwood Records
Hardwood Records
Hardwood Records is a Canadian independent record label, owned and operated by singer-songwriter Hayden. Originally formed to distribute his own albums, the label also currently releases albums by Cuff the Duke and Basia Bulat....
. They also recorded two tracks for the 2006 Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman
Steve Goodman was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie, Goodman won two Grammy Awards.-Personal life:...
tribute album My Old Man
My Old Man (album)
My Old Man is a 2006 album compiled by Rosanna Goodman in tribute to her father, folk singer-songwriter Steve Goodman. The twelve tracks are all covers of songs originally written by Steve Goodman.-Track listing:# Ana Egge, "Old Fashioned"...
, reimagining Goodman's "City of New Orleans
City of New Orleans (song)
"City of New Orleans" is a folk song written by Steve Goodman , describing a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans via the Illinois Central Railroad in bittersweet and nostalgic terms. Goodman got the idea while traveling on the eponymous train for a visit to his wife's family...
" and "Jessie's Jig".
Man of Your Dreams was released March 25, 2008 on Snakeye Muzak, distributed by Outside Music
Outside Music
Outside Music is a Canadian record label and distributor, founded by Lloyd Nishimura in 1995. In 2007, it expanded to include an artist management division which counts Jill Barber, Matthew Barber, One Hundred Dollars and Sunparlour Players as management clients.Outside has released countless...
.
The members of Luther Wright and the Wrongs have also recorded two albums for children under the name Butterfingers.
Discography
- 1997: Hurtin' for Certain (Snakeye Muzak)
- 1999: Roger's Waltz (Snakeye Muzak)
- 2001: Rebuild the WallRebuild the WallRebuild the Wall is a 2001 album by Canadian alternative country band Luther Wright and the Wrongs. The album is a cover of Pink Floyd's progressive rock classic The Wall, reimagining each track as a bluegrass country song.-Track listing:...
(Back Porch) - 2003: Guitar Pickin' Martyrs (Back Porch)
- 2006: Instrumentality (Hardwood)
- 2008: Man of Your Dreams (Snakeye Muzak)
External links
- Luther Wright and the Wrongs official site