Despite having a career that involved several visits to the US R&B charts, R&B and jump blues singer Billy Wright is still probably best-known for his influence on a young Richard Penneman aka Little Richard. His flamboyant style and appearance helped to shape the extrovert approach of the great rock ‘n’ roller, including his use of pancake make-up and wearing his hair in an extravagant pompadour style.

Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Wright worked as a dancer and as a female impersonator but developed as a singer when he began performing at Atlanta’s 81 Theater. Saxophonist Paul “Hucklebuck” Williams caught one of his  shows when the two shared a bill with Charles Brown and Wynonie Harris and he recommended him to Herman Lubinsky of Savoy Records. Known as “The Prince of The Blues” during his career. Wreight was, for a brief time, rock’s most colourful star and a key figure in blues in the Atlanta area in the post-war years after he started recording in 1949. In 1951, he introduced Penneman  to his friend, the DJ ‘Daddy’ Sears who helped the future “Architect of Rock and Roll”, get his first recording contract with RCA.

This 43-track set features the A and B sides of his releases on the Savoy, Atlanta, Peacock and Carrollton labels alongside selected recordings from this era which were unreleased on singles. It includes his Top 10 R&B hits Blues For My Baby, You Satisfy, Hey, Little Girl and Stacked Deck. Unfortunately, the relentless rise of rock ’n’ roll resulted in the singer being overlooked and he would make his last recordings in 1959.

This 2CD collection offers an entertaining showcase for a great R&B entertainer, whose influence on rock ‘n’ roll went beyond simply his music.

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