Chuck Wright

A versatile and highly sought-after American bassist known for his tenures with Quiet Riot, Giuffria, House of Lords, and Heaven & Earth, Chuck Wright has been at the forefront of the hard rock scene for over four decades. An in-demand session and touring musician, Wright has performed and recorded with a wide array of artists, including Alice Cooper, Slash, Ted Nugent, Gregg Allman, Ronnie Montrose, and John Waite. In 2022 he released his debut solo effort, the star-studded Chuck Wright's Sheltering Sky. After almost becoming a cadet with the Air Force, bassist/songwriter Chuck Wright switched gears and became a prolific musician on the Hollywood club circuit during the late '70s and early '80s. He established an early relationship with Quiet Riot, lending his background vocals to the multi-platinum selling Metal Health and its follow-up, Condition Critical. After a short-lived project with drummer Pat Torpey, vocalist/producer John Purdell, guitarist Gene Black, and keyboardist/producer Pat Regan, Wright joined up with Giuffria. Led by former Angel keyboardist Gregg Giuffria, the band's 1984 self-titled debut album met with success, spawning the hit single "Call to Your Heart." Giuffria went on to open for Deep Purple and Foreigner before headlining a tour of their own in Japan. Wright was then asked to replace bassist Rudy Sarzo in Quiet Riot and appeared as a full-time member on the band's third album, QR III. Quiet Riot subsequently suffered through a series of personnel changes, and Wright joined guitarist Chris Impellitteri for an album. When Gregg Giuffria called to say he was forming a new band called House of Lords, the first act to sign on with Gene Simmons' new custom label, Wright came aboard. He played and toured with House of Lords for two albums before rejoining Quiet Riot in the early '90s for an album and tour. Throughout the '90s, he worked on several production and film score projects with former House of Lords guitarist Lanny Cordola. Wright remained busy as the decades progressed, appearing on albums by Bad Moon Rising, Matt Sorum, Mr. Big, Michael Schenker, Stephen Pearcy, and Pat Travers, among many others. He issued three more albums with House of Lords, including 2004's The Power and the Myth, and later joined the blues-rock supergroup Heaven & Earth, appearing on 2013's Dig and 2017's Hard to Kill. He re-joined Quiet Riot for their 2014 release Quiet Riot 10 and subsequent efforts Road Rage (2017) and Hollywood Cowboys (2019). 2022 saw Wright strike out on his own with Chuck Wright's Sheltering Sky. The wide-ranging effort, which featured members of Mr. Big, Skid Row, Tesla, Dream Theater, Great White, Asia, and Jefferson Starship, combined elements of jazz fusion, progressive metal, funk, and hard rock, and included a propulsive cover of Björk's "Army of Me."
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