James F. Wright... The Man... the Dream

Jim Wright is a man with dreams-dreams from his earliest childhood; dreams he never gave up, despite frequent encounters with seemingly insurmountable obstacles; dreams that are finally turning the corner and becoming reality.

Jim has always known that his life work would be music. But life as a musician, recording artist, and radio DJ has not always been easy for Jim. After touring for a decade, and going through periods when the music just wasn't there, Jim said he frequently found himself at forks in the road. Each time, he had to decide whether or not he would stay the course; each time, he stopped long enough to look beyond the fork in the road; and each time, he was able to say, "You've come this far; with a little more effort, you can make it."

At one point, Jim got the kind of wake-up call that could change anyone's direction. On a roadtrip, headed for an engagement in Cortez, Colorado, Jim got caught in a blizzard. Once the storm eased, he took off again, and ended up 150 feet below the highway, after his vehicle rolled twice and landed upside-down. Jim had performed his last on-the-road gig. When he walked away from the accident, he really didn't know if he would ever make music again. But the message he ultimately carried away was not "Stop singing," it was, "You need to change direction." Following the accident, new opportunities began opening before him.

Jim told me, "There were little breaks along the way. The thing is, when you know-and you've always known-a little of what you're here for, but for some reason you just can't seem to get that big break, its easy to start wondering if maybe you should get a "real" job and just give up the dream.

Jim is dedicated to the dream; he hasn't given up. He's always been able to see a bigger picture, beyond today's close-up. After the release of his first album, Legacy of Harmony, Jim was invited to Nashville, where he met and worked with music-industry arrangers, producers and executives, and performed at a national corporate event in Opryland.

After several trips to Nashville, Jim cut his second album, Familiar Strangers, and in the last few years, has recorded several songs for Senator Orrin Hatch. The first song he recorded for a Hatch album was You Gotta Love this Country, on the album Freedom's Light. The second, If Only, Co-written by Nashville songwriter, Peter McCann, was followed by No Empty Chairs, co-written by Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry, on the album Jesus' Love is Like River.

Jim was invited to record a number for the Hatch/Perry 1998 Christmas album, Come to the Manger; together, he and Greg Hansen selected Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella, a traditional favorite that makes great use of Jim's voice and style. The fifth piece, Put Your Arms Around the World, written by Senator Hatch, was recorded and first released as a duet by Santita Jackson and Chris Willis. Jim's association with Senator Hatch has led to introductions in recording meccas across the U.S.

Since Jim recorded his first album with Greg Hansen Music Productions, he has enjoyed increasing visibility and some notoriety on the music scene in Utah. An article in the Deseret News , August, 1995, dubbed Jim “The Voice,” and offered praise for both his vocals and his lyrics. Greg Hansen said that Jim "Sits on the top of the list of people I work with who are ready, right now, for a national career." Recent opportunities for Jim, like those with Senator Hatch, support Greg's comment.

Jim is probably best known for his song, Roses. The opening line, "Please don't throw that bouquet of roses away, because of just one little thorn," was drawn from a conversation with an elderly woman Jim met while he was performing on the road. Jim carried the line around in his head for six years. He finally completed the song after the circumstances of his life led to the discovery that "God really did know me personally. I was encircled about in the arms of his love." The song carries a bittersweet message: its still me, despite the thorns.

Jim Wright is a man with dreams-dreams he never gave up, despite those frequent encounters with faith-testing, confidence-shaking situations. If you haven't heard Jim's music, I highly recommend checking it out. You'll find a wonderfully gifted singer/songwriter with life messages driving his music, and now more than ever, his life-as he moves forward, daring to live his dream. Feel the music and the magic.

By Debbie Berrett

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