Early Wright

Early Wright, also known as "The Soul Man" was a disc jockey at WROX-AM, a radio station in Clarksdale, Mississippi.[1][2][3] He was the first black radio announcer in Mississippi. Musicians Wright hosted on WROX included Sam Cooke, B.B. King, Little Milton, Pinetop Perkins, Elvis Presley, Charley Pride, Bobby Rush, Rufus Thomas, and Muddy Waters.

Early Wright was one of several key employees in the early days of the stations history. He was an auto mechanic by trade, joining the station in 1945. Wright started as the manager of a gospel group, the Four Star Quartet. Station manager Preston “Buck” Hinman, impressed with Wright’s charisma, offered Wright a regular show as WROX’s first African American announcer. Wright continued to broadcast until 1998. He died in 1999 at the age of 84.[3]

References

  1. Cheseborough, Steve. Blues Traveling, The Holy Sites of Delta Blues. 3rd ed. University Press of Mississippi, 2009. ISBN 978-1-60473-124-8. p. 93.
  2. "WROX History". WROX Radio. Retrieved November 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  3. 1 2 "WROX - Clarksdale". Mississippi Blues Commission. Retrieved November 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)


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