Mark Wright

b. 1957, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. During his years at high school, Wright was influenced towards a musical career through his father who was music director for schools in Fayetteville. He sang in several school choirs and was also a member of the All State Choir. After briefly attending the University of Arkansas he switched to Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he enrolled in the specialized music business programme. Concentrating on composing, he wrote several country music songs during the next few years and in the course of the next two decades had numerous successes, including several number 1 hits. His songs have been performed by Mark Chesnutt, George Strait, Kenny Rogers, Crystal Gayle, Eddie Rabbitt, Reba McEntire and Clint Black. In addition to operating his own record company, Wright has held senior executive posts with a number of companies, including MCA, United Artists Records and RCA Records, and in the mid-00s was Executive Vice President of Artists and Repertoire for Sony Records-Nashville. Wright is on the Board of Trustees of Belmont University, the Tennessee Governor’s Film, Entertainment, and Music Commission and several other distinguished bodies. He has also been inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame.