UB Celebrates: The Virtuoso ‘Big Jim’ On Birthday
Today We Celebrate the Musical Genius on His Birthday.
Today we celebrate the Birthday of Jimmy “Big Jim” Wright, who passed away on September 29th, 2018.
James “Big Jim” Quentin Wright was born March 19th, 1966 in Rockford.
The son of Jenniel Wright and Alan Jackson.
Big Jim, who earned his nickname for his portly size, first rose to fame as an aide to legendary producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, rising up in their Flyte Tyme factory, here in Minneapolis during their peak years.
Jimmy lived most of his life in Rockford, also living in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Rancho Cucamonga, California, Atlanta Georgia and Roscoe, IL.
You could find Big Jim playing at many local churches, while in the Midwest you could find him at, Wesleyan Baptist as a child; Bethel Baptist Church, Ephesian Baptist Church, Christ Tabernacle in Rockford, Jerusalem Baptist Church in Milwaukee, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in St. Paul, MN and he attended Church in California; with Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church Rockford, being his home church.
He graduated from West High School class of 1984.
Big Jim was a music producer, arranger, composer/songwriter, film score, singer, performer and music director, as well as appearing on multiple reality and network television shows.
In the 1990s, Big Jim moved to Minneapolis and joined the gospel/R&B group Sounds of Blackness.
He served as the group’s producer, arranger and composer for about five years.
Among the members was fellow Rockfordian and lead singer and God sister Ann Nesby.
Jimmy was connected, through Nesby, with Terry Lewis.
In our UB Interview with Ann Nesby last year for the release of he album “ANNiversary,” a project Jimmy was originally apart of — Ann shared with us how he came to Flyte Tyme. (video clip below)
Terry Lewis offered Big Jim a exclusive publishing contract while he continued to provide lead vocals and keyboards for Sounds of Blackness.
Shortly after he started writing and producing a string of hits with the music production house dynasty.
Big Jim was referred to as Flyte Tyme’s secret weapon.
His first major work included songwriting for Sounds of Blackness, first appearing on their 1992 holiday album and stage play “The Night Before Christmas: A Musical Fantasy.”
He also provided keyboard duties and led several of their songs including the perennial holiday gem “Soul Holidays,” the Al Green-esque “The Lord Will Make a Way” and the surprise crossover hit single “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright,” which hit #29 on the Billboard R&B chart.
Although Wright acted as an honorary musical guest inside the realm of the Minneapolis-based fifty-member ensemble, his contributions were pivotal to the group’s success.
Among his undertakings: a creative collaboration with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis in executive producing, writing, and scoring the Beyoncé Knowles and Cuba Gooding Jr. feature film, “Fighting Temptation.”
The end title song “Definition of Love” is performed by Deborah Cox from the film “Akeelah and the Bee,” “Ne Me Laisse Pas Seule Ici” and “Nobody Cares” for the soundtrack from the biographical and historical drama film Hotel Rwanda.
With Jam & Lewis, Wright’s workload grew expansively, leading to a production partnership and transformative co-writing arrangement that blessed the albums for Barry White (The Icon Is Love), Michael Jackson (HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I), Lionel Richie (Louder Than Words), Jon Secada (Secada) and Patti LaBelle (“When You Talk About Love” on Flame).
When Ann Nesby stepped away from Sounds of Blackness for her solo album debut with Flyte Tyme, Wright stood by her side.
On 1996’s “I’m Here for You,” Ann Nesby blends gospel and slick R&B together using an Aretha-like tapestry.
And part of the magic was Wright’s careful pulse on delivering that soulful heartbeat to these records.
His fingerprints are all over the album, from keyboard duties to co-writing much of the album along with Jam & Lewis.
“I’m Still Wearin’ Your Name” quickly became Ann Nesby’s signature power ballad, while “I’ll Do Anything for You” and memorable cuts like “This Weekend” showed off Wright’s knack for cool soul.
He would apply that same formula to Janet Jackson’s “I Get Lonely,” which can be heard effectively in his handling of the Rhodes keyboard.
Prior to his achievement on the chart-topping “I Get Lonely” (#3 pop, #1 R&B), Wright could be seen behind the scenes on Janet’s groundbreaking “janet.” album, contributing vocals when needed and playing keyboards on strong cuts like “What’ll I Do” and “Any Time Any Place.”
Jimmy would later contribute work on Boyz II Men (The Ballad Collection), Mary J. Blige (Mary), Usher (8701), Sting (At the Movies), Aretha Franklin (So Damn Happy), Kelly Price (Priceless), and Celine Dion (“Dance With My Father” on So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross).
Plus Mariah Carey’s “Rainbow,” where he expanded his horizons as Mariah’s musical director from “Rainbow” to Mariah’s “#1 to Infinity.”
He also served as co-producer on most of her later albums, including 2008’s “E=MC2,” 2009’s “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” and 2014’s “Me, I Am Mariah …The Elusive Chanteuse.”
He is best remembered for co-writing and co-producing the gospel-tinged “Fly Like a Bird,” a Top 20 Billboard R&B hit, for Mariah’s 2005 album, “The Emancipation of Mimi.”
In 2006, Big Jim Wright produced on the TV One series and soundtrack “R&B Divas.”
Recording with Faith Evans, Nicci Gilbert, Syleena Johnson, Monifah and Keke Wyatt.
Despite his foot being anchored in pop and R&B, he never forsook his roots in gospel, which included work on Yolanda Adams’s Grammy-winning “Mountain High…Valley Low,” with more work for Ann Nesby on “Put It on Paper.”
Also Nicole C. Mullen, and a vocal appearance on “Soul Interpretations” from Minneapolis contemporary gospel choir Excelsior.
In 2007, Jam & Lewis were commissioned to handle two holiday albums distributed by Def Jam for Ron Isley & the Isley Brothers and Patti LaBelle, yielding new collaborative music from Wright.
Also that year, Wright with Jam & Lewis worked on Chaka Khan’s comeback album “Funk This,” supplying her with the Grammy-winning “Angel.”
Big Jim was also heavily involved in various Film & TV productions.
Including the BET made for TV movie “Let The Church Say Amen” in 2013.
Big Jim’s television work was 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 (Reality Show).
He won several awards throughout his career including: Grammy, ASCAP, NAACP, and DOVE awards.
In 2006 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.
At the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony Big Jim accompanied Ricky Minor of The Tonight Show on the Hammond B3 organ during the explosive Gospel segment featuring The Queen of soul Aretha Franklin, The Clark Sisters, Israel & New Breed, BeBe Winans paying tribute.
That same night picked up the Grammy for Best R&B Album with Chaka Khan’s come back album “Funk This” after a 15 year hiatus which contains the introspective single “Angel’ written by Chaka & Big Jim.
Wright’s final contribution to music was on Deborah Cox’s “I Will Always Love You” album, a 2017 tribute album to Whitney Houston.
Jimmy contributed to Snoop Dogg‘s 2018 gospel album, “Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love.”
He’s is featured on the track “My God,” recorded with Snoop Dogg.
We will continue to miss the genius that was, Big Jim Wright. Sending our prayers to his wife, Brigitte; son Anthony and his daughter Danielle.
ANN NESBY TALKS BIG JIM WITH UB!
