Inaugural Book
Details 56 Chapters of Racism and Hardship The Wright Family Faced As
Sharecroppers Near Clarksdale, Mississippi Circa The ’40s
Book Includes a
Glowing and Empathetic Foreword by Little Richard
(Los Angeles, CA – September 23, 2015) While fans of Soul
Music great Charles Wright are accustomed to hearing the
singer/songwriter/guitarist shout “Express Yourself” on oldies radio, in movies
and dozens of television commercials, the multi-talented messenger has taken up
his pen to complete the first in a planned series of autobiographies that
detail his profound life story as a southern Black man that miraculously
brought himself from poverty to prosperity. The inaugural installment is “Up
From Where We’ve Come,” an up-close and intimate telling of the Wright family’s
profound struggles as sharecroppers near Clarksdale, Mississippi through the
1940s. Written in the raw dialects and rhythms of how Blacks and Whites
communicated with each other in the era, it is a riveting insider’s glimpse
into the realities of the times.
In the Preface to his book, Wright writes, “Some may
consider these chapters a vital part of American history which has yet to be
told in this particular fashion. “Truer words could not be spoken as the reader
receives a series of history lessons from a firsthand account straight out of
the memories of a most impressionable and observant youth. Through his
hindsight insights as an older/wiser man, Charles Wright imparts knowledge,
culture and context in each of the tome’s 56 chapters.
Through Wright’s eyes, the reader will meet his long put
upon father, his wily but loving mother, his young brothers, sisters and
cousins, and two different White land owners that overworked and underpaid them
all with utmost disrespect to go around. While no one that studies history will
find that surprising or enlightening, the personal portrait shared here makes
it all the more poignant and real.
Along with the strife and struggles, however, are visions
from a wide-eyed child of the natural world around him and the industrial
changes happening on that very land. There’s the warmth and play of a family
co-existing in a shabby home in spite of hard times. And then there’s a love
story between a woman and a man that blossoms against all odds and challenges
as they fight to understand each other, support each other and still find a way
to romance each other.
“Up From Where We’ve Come” emerges as a triumphant and
highly unique literary statement from a man whose music has already touched
several generations of fans. So powerful are the stories that Wright has not
one but four separate Forewords from supporters across the spectrum: California
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Rock ’n’ Roll Originator Little Richard, acclaimed
Broadcast Journalist Roland Bynum and renowned Music Educator Reggie Andrews.
“I wanted to reveal just how thin the line between
sharecropping and slavery really was. It’s important to me because I spent a
significant part of my life under that regime. I started writing this book 40
years ago. It’s something – given the right circumstance – I wish I could have
shared long ago...But now is the optimal time because discrimination never went
away. Racism simply vaulted to a whole ’nother level. Honestly, in some cases,
I’d take the way it used to be over what it is today. The process of systematic
racial elimination is extremely ugly to me. I can see it so clearly. I need
others to see it, too. So I’m expressing myself.”
Charles Wright is a world-renowned musician and songwriter
best known as the leader of the ’60s-founded Charles Wright & The Watts
103rd Street Rhythm Band and for recording the enduring 1971 classic “Express
Yourself” (#3 R&B, #12 Pop – Billboard). The ensemble also recorded the
classics “Loveland” (sung by drummer James Gadson who became an ace session
musician in Los Angeles), “Do Your Thing” (featuring lead guitarist Al McKay
who went on to become a star member of Earth Wind & Fire) and the racial
equality anthem “Comment” (also recorded by jazz legend Les McCann, alternative
rockers Wilco and others). The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band also worked
closely with Bill Cosby in its infancy as his backup band for a music album
(Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings – 1967) leading to
The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band becoming the first
R&B act to succeed on Warner Brothers Records with its self-titled debut LP
the same year.
Wright still records Doo Wop, Blues, Soul, Pop and Funk
music – now on his own label, A Million $ Worth of Memories Records. His latest
CD is Let’s Make Love Tonight. He also has a forthcoming CD, tentatively titled
Be Careful What You Wish For, featuring the already released first single,
“Lookin’ For An Ugly Woman!” His company slogan: “True Soul Music Made By Human
Beings, Not By Machines.” Also among his new recordings is a remix of “Express
Yourself,” this time tied-in with a cell phone app. Charles Wright has come a
long way.
Check out Charles’ new music video “Lookin’ For An Ugly
Woman!” youtu.be/T4sJdTnTYo4
Here is a sample of the poignant reflections and biting
insightful processing that Charles Wright’s “Up From Where We’ve Come” has to
offer:
As a victim of circumstance, my father developed a habit of
sunup `til sundown drudgery. He forced us to work 40 acres of old man Miles’
fertile land practically free of charge. There was a time, though long
forgotten, when my parents kept records – until they grew tired of wasting
pencils and paper. Since, added to his propensity to manipulate the price of
cotton, Mr. Miles had a habit of ignoring my parents’ count. His motto, which
said,
“A nigger is at his Best when Bent until Broken,” and which
he referred to as, “The Triple B System.
In two years’ time, my dad demanded a hundred pounds a day
and not a pound less, something I could never come up with. Yet every time I
failed, he whipped me viciously. I’d always start out giving it my best. But by
mid-day I’d grow weary. I picked 88 pounds, 89 pounds, 92 pounds and often as
much as 98 pounds. But none of these satisfied my father. It was as if he’d
developed a revulsion for me and I’d actually became his sounding board – a
tool to douse his own sense of defeat. Anytime he was having a bad day, my ass
had to pay. It was that simple. He didn’t care what he whipped me with – either
an ironing cord, a wet or a dry rope, a huge cotton stalk or an occasional wire
hanger. You’d think I would have developed a tolerance for pain but I never
did. Instead, I developed an equal distaste for my very own father.
Throughout the ensuing years, however, I learned of the huge
tower of pressure hanging over his head, and realized how he was taking out on
my behind the equivalence of what Mr. Miles was taking out on his mind – an
unfair exchange yet somewhat of a logical conclusion. Whether my dad knew it or
not, he’d settled for a diverse form of slavery.
UP FROM WHERE WE’VE COME WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN
BOOKSTORES ON OCTOBER 26TH
KEEP UP WITH CHARLES BY VISITING:
expressyourself.net
Facebook: facebook.com/Charleswright103
Twitter: twitter.com/Charles_Wright
Linkedin: linkedin.com/pub/charles-wright/33/625/667
Youtube: youtube.com/user/charleswrightz1
Reverbnation: reverbnation.com/Charlesexpressyourselfwright
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