Ov Wright Unmarked Grave / Help Needed

[Marc Forrest]

Just passing this on:

"For all those that love and have enjoyed the passion and soulful sounds of Mr. O.V. Wright, the MySpace O.V. Wright dedication site would like to requested your help if you can.

It has become known to us that sadly, O.V.'s final resting place in Memphis is an unmarked grave. There was some confusion I guess when he passed and the net is he never did get a marker.

Well the great news is a bunch of huge O.V. fans (including Red Kelly) and ex-associates and family have set up a fund to correct this. The fund is even helping to support O.V.'s widow in an attempt to receive some of the royalties from his amazing music.

We know there are a lot of great causes out there you can invest your time and money in, but we hope you see fit to just pass along even a little if you can. O.V.'s music is forever. His voice I am sure is still the beautiful background vibe that fills a lot of your nights.

So what you can please. We will keep you updated on progress of the fund on this page, or you can visit the O.V.

memorial site directly for updates as well at https://www.ovwright.org

Click the link here to donate and read more about the fund. Blessings, and all the best from the fans of Mr.

Overton Vertis Wright"

[Baz Atkinson]

WELL DONE FOR BRINING THIS TO THE FOREFRONT OF PEOPLES MINDS! HE WAS AN IMMENSE TALENT AND THIS SHOULD BE GIVEN AS MUCH SUPPORT AS IS POSSIBLE.FOLLOW THE LINK FOLKS.

BAZ A

[Marc Forrest]

Thanks Baz, I absolutely think the same (obviously), one of the greatest singers ever. It`s time to give some back now me thinks..

Marc

[Rob Wigley]

looks like a good cause, we'll try and help and do what we can.

When they put the marker on Darrel Banks grave in Detroit it generated a lot of good publicity for lesser known Black Soul artist in general and it got loads of press, especially with the Uk involvement.

Rob & Karen

[Rednose]

Just passing this on:

"For all those that love and have enjoyed the passion and soulful sounds of Mr. O.V. Wright, the MySpace O.V. Wright dedication site would like to requested your help if you can.

It has become known to us that sadly, O.V.'s final resting place in Memphis is an unmarked grave. There was some confusion I guess when he passed and the net is he never did get a marker.

Well the great news is a bunch of huge O.V. fans (including Red Kelly) and ex-associates and family have set up a fund to correct this. The fund is even helping to support O.V.'s widow in an attempt to receive some of the royalties from his amazing music.

We know there are a lot of great causes out there you can invest your time and money in, but we hope you see fit to just pass along even a little if you can. O.V.'s music is forever. His voice I am sure is still the beautiful background vibe that fills a lot of your nights.

So what you can please. We will keep you updated on progress of the fund on this page, or you can visit the O.V.

memorial site directly for updates as well at https://www.ovwright.org

Click the link here to donate and read more about the fund. Blessings, and all the best from the fans of Mr.

Overton Vertis Wright"

this shows what a great website this is and thanks marc for bringing this to everyones attention. it helps us to show our appreciation to great artists who otherwise would have been forgotten.

[Guest]

Thanks to Marc for bringing this to our attention.

I have made my modest contribution - which pales into insignificance to O.V's contribution to the music we love.

Derek

[pow wow mik]

another sad story while far lesser talents continue to rake it in.

For years i've loved his 'we're still together' on Hi in particular, and it's always been a $1 record so must have sold a few.

hope he gets the respect he deserves.

[Little-stevie]

Gonna send something in the morning for sure.. Love this mans music so so much....

First track i heard was called "lets straighten it out"... blew me away for sure... If any can find a soundfile of this track that would be great.. Real deeeeeeeeeep soul just how i like it..

[boba]

Gonna send something in the morning for sure.. Love this mans music so so much....

First track i heard was called "lets straighten it out"... blew me away for sure... If any can find a soundfile of this track that would be great.. Real deeeeeeeeeep soul just how i like it..

you know that's a latimore cover, right?

[Little-stevie]

you know that's a latimore cover, right?

Yes Boba... Always loved the Latimore and had it for years but then i heard Ov take on it, fantastic cover indeed.. Don't need to choose between them, love them both.. Soundfile anyone please??

[bri phill]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention and like a previous post just shows you how good this site is.

O.V. was one of the most underrated singers of all time he certainly deserves any support we can give all be it 28 years after his death.

Regards Brian

[Marc Forrest]

Thank you all, brilliant that so many people want to help

[Soul-Brother]

O.V.Wright_05___Let_s_Straighten_It_Out.mp3

The fund has been going a few weeks now...good to see it is here..

all those donating will be listed on Red's page..and we will be informed when enough is there for a gravestone.

Regards

Barry

PS

Track as requested....from the 'Bottom Line' album..1977

Album & CD Discography here:

/ovwright/OVDisc.html

Two rare photos here:

/ovwright/OVWright.html

Edited April 10, 2008 by Soul-Brother

[Little-stevie]

O.V.Wright_05___Let_s_Straighten_It_Out.mp3

The fund has been going a few weeks now...good to see it is here..

all those donating will be listed on Red's page..and we will be informed when enough is there for a gravestone.

Regards

Barry

PS

Track as requested....from the 'Bottom Line' album..1977

Album & CD Discography here:

/ovwright/OVDisc.html

Two rare photos here:

/ovwright/OVWright.html

thanks so much.. Great man indeed..

Great to see folk like this coming together, thats what its all about..

[binsy]

Just passing this on:

"For all those that love and have enjoyed the passion and soulful sounds of Mr. O.V. Wright, the MySpace O.V. Wright dedication site would like to requested your help if you can.

It has become known to us that sadly, O.V.'s final resting place in Memphis is an unmarked grave. There was some confusion I guess when he passed and the net is he never did get a marker.

Well the great news is a bunch of huge O.V. fans (including Red Kelly) and ex-associates and family have set up a fund to correct this. The fund is even helping to support O.V.'s widow in an attempt to receive some of the royalties from his amazing music.

We know there are a lot of great causes out there you can invest your time and money in, but we hope you see fit to just pass along even a little if you can. O.V.'s music is forever. His voice I am sure is still the beautiful background vibe that fills a lot of your nights.

So what you can please. We will keep you updated on progress of the fund on this page, or you can visit the O.V.

memorial site directly for updates as well at https://www.ovwright.org

Click the link here to donate and read more about the fund. Blessings, and all the best from the fans of Mr.

Overton Vertis Wright"

Hi Marc,

In a world where mediocrity is celebrated and hype this guy was a true great. I love all of his music from 60s onwards. One that really stands out though is a Hi recording called ' Without you'. Very few have managed to truly put across the emptiness that you feel when you lose someone like that.

A rare talent indeed

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

One that really stands out though is a Hi recording called ' Without you'. Very few have managed to truly put across the emptiness that you feel when you lose someone like that.

...and I thought he was singing about his teeth, Mark....

Seriously, if ever there was a cause worth supporting, this is that cause. And I'm going to do that very thing right now. So should everyone else who reads this thread. Every donation counts - whatever you were going to spend on that next record on eBay, spend it on this instead...

[Biggordy]

A deep soul legend, one of the greatest voices of all time, glad to help out with a few quid.

Gordy

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

Just bumping this up, and will continue to do so every so often, as I think that it's important to stick this in as many faces as possible.

I'm delighted to see that at least some of us who've posted here so far have already put their money where their posts are. I'm sure that Red won't mind how small a donation people might send, and if just 100 Sourcers PayPal'led him the price of a pint, it would go a long way to giving the 'Nucleus Of Soul' the permanent memorial he so richly deserves...

... "'n here's another thing..."

[Marc Forrest]

Just bumping this one up one more time

[Pete S]

...and I thought he was singing about his teeth, Mark....

Seriously, if ever there was a cause worth supporting, this is that cause.

I'd sooner give any spare money I had to a childrens cancer research charity.

[Marc Forrest]

I'd sooner give any spare money I had to a childrens cancer research charity.

Another good cause for sure, as well as at least ten others I can think of at once.

[Pete S]

Another good cause for sure, as well as at least ten others I can think of at once.

I can't quite explain properly what I mean. I've nothing against appeals like this, quite the opposite, but the way I was thinking is that the man is long dead and nothing can be done to save him now - thats all. Not knocking it at all.

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

I'd sooner give any spare money I had to a childrens cancer research charity.

No reason why anyone who cares enough shouldn't want to do both. I support a few charities that hopefully benefit all manner of good causes, and to me this is as good a cause as any of the others that I have supported over the years.

I can't see why almost all of O.V. Wright's music wouldn't have meant much to you personally. Pete, but it means a lot to some of us, and I see absolutely nothing wasteful in giving the price of a couple of pints towards anything that honours one of the greatest soul men of them all...

[Pete S]

No reason why anyone who cares enough shouldn't want to do both. I support a few charities that hopefully benefit all manner of good causes, and to me this is as good a cause as any of the others that I have supported over the years.

I can't see why almost all of O.V. Wright's music wouldn't have meant much to you personally. Pete, but it means a lot to some of us, and I see absolutely nothing wasteful in giving the price of a couple of pints towards anything that honours one of the greatest soul men of them all...

I've no problem with that, it's just that I feel life is for the living or something like that. And it always puzzles me how these old singers end up this way - surely they earned money in their careers but more importantly, surely they had friends in the business, many of whom must surely be able to afford the price of a gravestone!

[Marc Forrest]

..And it always puzzles me how these old singers end up this way - surely they earned money in their careers but more importantly, surely they had friends in the business, many of whom must surely be able to afford the price of a gravestone!

That`s sadly the point, most of them artists we love did earn nth at all or did not earn enough to put some aside. I mean, even JJ Barnes is working as a night guard at a Detroit newspaper these days. Surely if he would have had enough earnings from his musical career he would not need to spend his nights at this job in this day and age. And friends...well, once a person is dead the number of so called friends can rapidly shrink...especially in the music/show business. More than one example of that in the past.

Having said that I can see and understand the (well meant) intention of your initial posting and don`t want to let this topic change into a "who is for and who is against it" controverse as it would simply do neither OV Wright nor this topic any justice.

Marc

[Marc Forrest]

Got this update via email:

Hello there:

As a member of the O.V. Wright Memorial Fund team, you are receiving this email to help keep you informed about what's going on.

This past monday, June 23rd, there was a meeting in Memphis at which Red Kelly delivered a Cashier's Check in the amount of $1763.02, which was the total amount received so far through our PayPal campaign, to Preston Lauterbach, the man who started all of this in the first place:

The other gentleman in the photograph is Sylvester Sartor, the newest member of our team. An invaluable addition, Sylvester knows just about everybody in Memphis, and will be assisting us as we move forward with our plans. He is currently in discussions with the Cemetery about just what type of memorial our contributions will allow us to purchase, and we will keep you posted on what he finds out.

Now for the exciting part:

Sylvester has been friends with Willie Mitchell for years, and was the man behind getting Willie his long overdue 'Trustees Award' at the Grammys this past February. He agrees with us that any celebration of O.V. Wright's work must include Mr. Mitchell, who produced virtually every thing he ever recorded. Thanks to Sylvester, Red was able to meet with Willie at Royal Studio on June 22nd, and talk with him about our plans for some kind of tribute concert this Fall in conjunction with the laying of the stone.

Here's what he had to say:

"...you've got the eggs and the ham, right? Well let me tell you something, if you all are the eggs, I'm the pig!"

In other words, he's whole hog on this and ready to go. We spoke about using Hi Rhythm as the back-up band for the concert ("no problem," he said, "I practically raised Teenie Hodges up..."), and spoke a little about our concept of a host of different singers performing O.V. Wright's material. Which, of course, brought us to the subject of Al Green:

"Al's funny," Willie said, "Let me call him. I'll tell him when he's got to show up, and he'll be there, don't worry."

SO, as you can see, this whole idea of ours is beginning to grow. With Willie on board, the possibilities are truly amazing.

The target date for the concert is Saturday, November 15th, with a graveside ceremony (and possible Gospel concert) scheduled for the following day.

There is an incredible amount of work ahead of us to make this happen. We are working on possible sponsorship options now, as well as political and governmental backing. A concert of this scope (which, if you think about it, not only honors O.V., but Willie Mitchell as well here in his 80th birthday, Grammy award winning year) needs to be held in the right setting (like the Orpheum Theater), and consequently will take some serious financial backing.

We can do this, folks. There is no force so great as an idea whose come. It is time for Memphis to stand up and honor O.V. Wright, Willie Mitchell, and the incredible body of work that Royal Studio continues to produce to this day.

We welcome any of your thoughts and contributions about all of this, and your assistance in spreading the word. There are, of course, no firm commitments on any of this as yet... and I am writing to you before we post anything on the web about it... but just imagine the possibilities!

...like Al Green, Don Bryant, Otis Clay, Percy and Spencer Wiggins, Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles, etc. etc all backed by the one and only Hi Rhythm.

Lord have mercy!

THE O.V. WRIGHT MEMORIAL FUND

ovwright.org

wright.bmp

Edited June 29, 2008 by Marc Forrest

[Sean Hampsey]

Great to see such progress on this and the involvement of Poppa Willie and Royal!

Photo opportunity - The 'New Memphis Horns' - Tats Taylor, Wayne Jackson, Kev Briscoe, Sean Hampsey at Royal Studios, Memphis.

Sean

[Ceejay]

Just passing this on:

"For all those that love and have enjoyed the passion and soulful sounds of Mr. O.V. Wright, the MySpace O.V. Wright dedication site would like to requested your help if you can.

It has become known to us that sadly, O.V.'s final resting place in Memphis is an unmarked grave. There was some confusion I guess when he passed and the net is he never did get a marker.

Well the great news is a bunch of huge O.V. fans (including Red Kelly) and ex-associates and family have set up a fund to correct this. The fund is even helping to support O.V.'s widow in an attempt to receive some of the royalties from his amazing music.

We know there are a lot of great causes out there you can invest your time and money in, but we hope you see fit to just pass along even a little if you can. O.V.'s music is forever. His voice I am sure is still the beautiful background vibe that fills a lot of your nights.

So what you can please. We will keep you updated on progress of the fund on this page, or you can visit the O.V.

memorial site directly for updates as well at https://www.ovwright.org

Click the link here to donate and read more about the fund. Blessings, and all the best from the fans of Mr.

Overton Vertis Wright"

Hi Marc

Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention and have to say I feel very sad at what I read. Don't know how I've managed not to come across this particular thread before but better late than never I suppose.

What makes me tick personally are strong, raw, gritty voices, so of course I am a big fan of O.V. Truly amazing voice and he sings with so much passion!!!

A worthy cause I feel and needless to say I will make my contribution to say thanks for the pleasure he has given to me!!!!

Cheers, Carol

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

...and perhaps one or two people who said, earlier in the thread, that they'd contribute something, will eventually now do so as a result of this reminder...

[Guest]

Just made my donation to a brilliant artist who has given me hours of pleasure listening to his music over the years and deserves to be properly remembered

[Guest]

I must say I find it somewhat gauling that threads about what are in some cases a complete load of bollox get hundreds of views and posts, then a subject like this gets hardly any recognition, especially when it is about giving something back to the music and artists that have inspired us all

Rant over

Edited June 29, 2008 by Guest

[Marc Forrest]

It has been done

grave.bmp

[Guest garv]

I must say I find it somewhat gauling that threads about what are in some cases a complete load of bollox get hundreds of views and posts, then a subject like this gets hardly any recognition, especially when it is about giving something back to the music and artists that have inspired us all

Rant over

Agree 100 %

OV wright deserves to be ranked alongside any of the soul greats.

Tracks like " a nickel & a nail" " into something i cant shake [ one of my fav`s]" " i dont know why [ i love you like i do] this particular track is goosebumps time.

Glad the man has a finally been shown some respect & dignity.

Garv

[Guest Paul]

Great to see such progress on this and the involvement of Poppa Willie and Royal!

Photo opportunity - The 'New Memphis Horns' - Tats Taylor, Wayne Jackson, Kev Briscoe, Sean Hampsey at Royal Studios, Memphis.

Sean

Nice photo, Sean.

[Guest Paul]

Well done to Red Kelly and everyone who helped or made a contribution.

[Kris Holmes]

Excellent news that this unmarked grave problem has been fixed. Apparently the benefit show in Memphis last week was great. OV Wright was such a talent. I was listning to his "The Soul Of OV Wright" CD the other week & really the man had so many great sides &a seriously great voice. One of the greats.