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Johnnie Robert Wright, Jr. (born May 13, 1914), known professionally as Johnnie Wright, is an American country music singer-songwriter who spent much of his career working with Jack Anglin as the popular duo Johnnie and Jack, and is also the husband of Kitty Wells.
Born in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, Wright first performed with Anglin in 1936. In 1937, he married Kitty Wells. The two, along with Wright’s sister Louise, performed as Johnnie Wright and the Harmony Girls. In 1939, Wright and Anglin formed the duo Johnnie and Jack. They teamed up full-time in the 1940s and, except for the time Anglin spent overseas during World War II, remained together for more than two decades.
In 1952, Johnnie & Jack’s "Poison Love" took them to the Grand Ole Opry, where the duo, along with Wells, were invited to join and where they remained for 15 years. Following Anglin's death in an automobile accident in 1963, Wright continued performing and releasing records.
In 1964, he and his Tennessee Mountain Boys had a Top 25 hit with "Walkin', Talkin', Cryin', Barely Beatin' Broken Heart." The following year, he had success with "Hello Vietnam", a number-one hit. In 1968, he and Wells recorded an autobiographical duet, "We'll Stick Together", and continued playing live shows together through the early 1980s.
In 1983, Wright and Wells opened the Family Country Junction Museum and Studio in their hometown of Madison, Tennessee. They closed the museum in October 2000, but their grandson, John Sturdivant, Jr. kept the Junction Recording Studio operating.
Wright joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the 1991 CD "Christmas Time's A Comin'" featuring the cast of the In the Heat of the Night (TV Series). He performed along with Kitty Wells and Bobby Wright on "Jingle Bells" with the cast.
In 1992, the couple and their son Bobby began playing together again. On December 31, 2000, the duo performed their farewell concert at the Nashville Nightlife Theater in Nashville, Tennessee. They played to a full house of fans, family and friends that included Ricky Skaggs, The Whites, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Leona Williams, Larry Stephenson, Tommy Cash, Jack Greene, Jean Shepard and comedian-impressionist Johnny Counterfit.
Wright and Wells were married on October 30, 1937. Together they have had three children, two daughters Ruby (1939-2009) and Carol Sue, as well as a son, Bobby. Each one of their children enjoyed minor successes as recording artists - Carol Sue, on a mid-1950s duet with Wells titled "How Far is Heaven"; Ruby, with a hit called "Dern 'Ya," an "answer song" to Roger Miller's "Dang Me"; and Bobby, with a series of country-pop hits in the early-to-mid 1970s, including "Seasons in the Sun" (covering Terry Jacks' No. 1 pop hit from 1974). Both Bobby and Ruby performed as part of their parents' road tour for many years.
Wright and Wells celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2007.
Associated acts: Johnnie & Jack, Kitty Wells, Ruby Wright
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