ABDEL WRIGHT

The Album
Abdel Wright

The Track
"Quicksand"

The Label
Interscope Records

Liner Notes
With an incredible true-life story that rivals Jimmy Cliff's fictional tale of Kingston gangsters in the classic film The Harder They Come, roots reggae-rocker Abdel Wright has survived an upbringing in foster homes and five years in a Jamaican prison to create an entire album full of hope and redemption. Wright's own story is amazing, from government custody at the age of nine months, to one orphanage after another until he ended up at the SOS Children's Village in Montego Bay. The facility was founded by an Austrian soldier and funded in part by the legendary Johnny Cash, who owned a home nearby. Cash provided an early influence on the young Wright when he performed at a benefit concert at Rose Hall every Christmas for the students. "All the kids, especially the musical ones, like me, were drawn to him. He played two mouth harps at once, which amazed me," Wright says of Cash. At 12, Wright was given a guitar as a Christmas gift after a school superintendent spotted him eyeing it in the school's office. He went on to teach himself the instrument - as well as piano and flute - by stealing in order to afford the instruction books. At the age of 18, he began to write songs but began committing crimes to support himself. Caught with a firearm, he was sentenced to eight years in jail. A policeman on the scene saved Wright's life by refusing to allow the arresting officer to shoot him after discovering the gun. When the same cop ran into Wright years later after seeing him perform on TV, he told Wright it was the right decision: "'Now I know why I gave you a chance. You are here for a purpose,' he told me."

In his cell, he wrote several songs, including "Quicksand." Wright made the most of his prison stay by giving music lessons to the other inmates and leading the prison band. Wright also learned sign language and taught it to fellow prisoners, giving him a skill to put to use when he was ultimately released after serving a reduced sentence of five years. He played tirelessly on the island's club scene, performing his own songs and developing a following, but was nearly homeless when he had a chance meeting with producer Brian Jobson, which led to Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart agreeing to executive-produce the album. Stewart then turned his friend Bono on to Wright's music, and the two invited Wright to perform with them at the 46664 Event, the Nelson Mandela AIDS concert, held in November 2003, in Cape Town, South Africa. The all-star benefit, which also featured Peter Gabriel, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the Eurythmics and others, was hosted by Nelson Mandela to raise global awareness in the fight against AIDS. Wright performed an emotional "Loose We Now," with thousands of fans holding their lighters aloft in tribute. Wright also was brought on-stage by Bono, joining The Edge, Dave Stewart and Youssou N'Dour to add a solo toast to "Long Walk to Freedom," the last song written by the Clash's Joe Strummer before he died. The song appears on the soundtrack and DVD of the event and a studio version was recorded for an upcoming album project. After the Mandela AIDS benefit, Wright went back to Jamaica and entered an Ocho Rios studio to finish recording his debut album with Jobson, which Stewart and Bono then played for Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine, who immediately agreed to release Abdel Wright.

Site
www.abdelwright.com

On
KMTT Seattle
WDET Detroit
WFUV New York
WXRV Boston
WTMD Baltimore
KUT Austin
Sirius
Acoustic Café
DMX
WUIN Wilmington
WRNR Annapolis/Baltimore
WRNX Springfield
WRLT Nashville
KTBG Kansas City
WXPK White Plains/Westchester County
WRSI Northampton/Greenfield/Springfield
WKVL Knoxville
KTHX Reno
WMVY Cape Cod
WZEW Mobile
WCLZ Portland
WEHM The Hamptons/Riverhead
WMWV Conway NH
WWVV Hilton Head SC/Savannah
WKZE Sharon CT/Poughkeepsie
WEBK Killington
KSMT Breckenridge
KSPN Aspen
KSLU DeRidder LA
WBSD Burlington WI
KFMU Steamboat Springs
KMTN Jackson

Quote
"Abdel Wright is the most important Jamacian artist since Marley."
—Bono

Tour
Abdel Wright has been on tour in May/June with Citizen Cope.

Retail
Abdel Wright is in stores August 16th.

Contact
James Evans, Interscope Records