Where Otis Redding and Al Green (almost) always got the girl, O.V Wright deals in heartbreak and failed romance. Just look at some of his song titles: "You're gonna make me cry", "When you took your love from me", "Heartaches, Heartaches"... I could go on. This song, talking about how his love has left him with nothing but a nickel and a nail is typical of his 1960s output on Back Beat records where he had the good fortune to be produced by legendary producer, Willie Mitchell (best known for his work with Al Green). Mitchell was later to take him to Hi Records in the mid 1970s. His work at Hi was, in common with many soul acts of the time, a lot "smoother" sounding, but he is best remembered for his earlier, rawer work.
Unfortunately his personal life was as troubled as in his songs and he was imprisoned for drugs offences in the early 1970s. He never really kicked the habit and died from a drug-induced heart attack in 1980.
Recomended:
The Soul of O.V. Wright - this covers the best of his Back Beat years.Lord Knows I've Failed:
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Hurrah for someone else who has heard of Wright. :)
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