The Passing of Big Jim Wright

GOSPELFlava joins others around the world mourning the passing of super producer, singer, songwriter and musician extraordinaire James “Big Jim” Wright.  Wright passed away at his home in Rockford, Illinois on September 30th.  Big Jim, as he is affectionately known, is beloved for his work as a singer and producer with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and his longtime association with Gary Hines and the Sounds of Blackness.  Wright is heard singing on such classics as Soul Holiday and The Lord Will Make A Way.

Wright has worked with the likes of Patti Labelle,  Janet Jackson, Sting, Elton John, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Yolanda Adams, and the Isley Brothers.  He served as an executive producer, and writer for the feature film, Fighting Temptation, starring Beyonce and Cuba Gooding, Jr.  The winner of 3 Grammy awards, 1 NAACP award, 1 Dove award and 7 ASCAP awards, Big Jim won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song for Yolanda Adams’ “Be Blessed,” and was nominated for Album Of The Year for his work on Mariah Carey’s 6x platinum album The Emancipation of Mimi. Carey’s top-selling album of 2005 contains 3 tracks produced by Wright including the inspirational hit “Fly Like A Bird,” which he co-wrote in 2006.  He served as bandleader for BET’s The Mo’nique Show, music supervisor/composer for BET’s Let’s Stay Together on BET, and music director/show producer for BET’s Sunday Best.