Chris Wright was born in Sydney, Australia on November 29, 1985 into a musical family. Starting on piano at the age of 5, Chris first picked up the guitar at age 9. Finding inspiration in a variety of music, his early influences ranged from Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, to Joe Pass and George Benson.
"When I was about 10 years old, my parents took me for lessons with Rod Brockbank, an awesome guitar player from England.
He had one of those really strong English accents though, and for the first six months I had
real trouble just trying to decipher what he was saying, haha ;) He taught me how to read, got my technique
happening, and helped me appreciate different guitar players and styles of music... he was a great teacher."
"People often ask, "When did you decide you wanted to be a professional musician?" Honestly, it was something I always wanted, even if subconsciously
at first. It never crossed my mind that I would do anything but play the guitar!
But a definite turning point and moment of inspiration was seeing a Tommy
Emmanuel concert as a kid. I remember coming away from the gig knowing that THAT was what I wanted to do one day! The incredible vibe of Tommy and the band, the audience going
nuts - it definitely changed something inside me."
"After leaving school, I practiced my ass off. I knew I had to put everything into it if I wanted to make a living as a
musician. It never felt like a chore though, and it doesn't now. I still
practice a lot, just because I love to play. Especially now that I'm really
getting right into jazz - it's such a deep well of information! I've also realised that
the study of music and the guitar is never ending, and I'll still be trying to figure out this thing when I'm
80
years old and way past it, haha. That's what it's all about though, isn't it? I've had so much fun working with some amazing musicians and artists, and I'm really just enjoying the process!"
Chris' work includes live performances, recording
sessions, composing production music, producing albums, and touring
with many artists and shows throughout Australia, New Zealand, USA, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Career Highlights:
Guitarist for 'High School Musical - Live On Stage' at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney. (2009)
Performed with David Campbell for the 'Today Show' Australia Day broadcast, live in Adelaide. (2009)
Guitarist for 'Las Vegas Confidential - The Musical' at the State Theatre, Sydney. (2008)Guitarist for the latest production of 'Rocky Horror Show' at Star City Casino, Sydney. (2008) Opened for Billy Cobham's 'Culture Mix Band', with Lewis Pragasam at KLPAC, Malaysia. (2006)Guitarist for Lewis Pragasam's 'Asiabeat'. Performances have included regular shows at 'Alexis' (Kuala Lumpur), the 'Mont Kiara Jazz Festival' 2006 (Kuala Lumpur), the 2007 'Sunrise Jazz Festival' (Kuala Lumpur), the 2007 Java Jazz Festival (Jakarta) and the 2007 tour of Indonesia. Chris also recorded guitars on the new Asiabeat album, 'Urban Beyond'. (2007)'Heroes Of Earth' world tour with artist Leehom Wang. Stadium shows in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Singapore, Taipei, Shanghai & Hong Kong. The Taipei concert is now available on DVD from Sony Music. Chris also performed with Leehom at the 2006 New Year's Eve 'Countdown Concert' in Shanghai. (2007)'Come as you are' tour with artist Sandy Lam, performing 10 shows at Star Hall, Hong Kong. (2007)Produced the album 'Bali Lounge II' for Omega Pacific Productions (Indonesia), with Lewis Pragasam. Performed with the group at the 2007 Jakarta Jazz Festival, and the official album launch at nightclub 'X2'. (2007)Produced artist Alanna Cherote's debut EP 'Universal Need', distributed through MGM Australia, and now available on-line and in stores. (2008)Performed at the 2007 Australian MTV Music Awards with Stephanie McIntosh ('Neighbours'), and appears in the video for her single, 'Do I Say Sorry First'. (2007)Guitarist for the pop/rock adaptation of musical 'Carmen', starring pop artist A-Mei. Two concerts at Taipei Arena, Taiwan. (2006)Composing production music for 'Sonic Ozault' music library, based in Sydney with local and international distribution. Chris' tracks have been used in TV shows such as 'Australian Idol', 'Getaway', 'The Great Outdoors', FOX AFL and 'Thank God You're Here'. (2009)Recorded on many commercials including brands such as Pizza Hut, Hungry Jacks, Daimler Chrysler, Hyundai, Fox Sports News, Makita Power Tools, Bundaberg Rum, Fox Sports 2007 NRL theme, and Fox Soccer 2007 theme. (2008) Toured Queensland with the Eurogliders to promote their new self-titled album. Also appeared with them at the Darling Harbour Jazz Festival. (2006)Toured Melbourne, Sydney, Beijing & Shanghai with 'Floorplay' - a dynamic ballroom dancing show from the producers of 'Burn The Floor'. (2005)Toured 8 months with musical 'Saturday Night Fever'. Tour included Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Melbourne, Perth & Brisbane. (2004/2005)Toured with Sam McNally's 'Blues Solution' band to Beijing, China - performing at blues club 'Ice House'. (2005)Guitarist for 'The Australian Smooth Jazz Show' featuring saxophonist Andrew Oh and keyboardist Sam McNally. Also regular performances with the 'Sam McNally Band' at the The Basement, Sydney. (2004)Awarded 'Young Guitarist of the Year' (rock/contemporary) at the Frankston International Guitar Festival. (2004)Won $20,000 in the 'Nescafe Big Break Competition', which contributed to the construction of Chris' studio. (2002)Chris is sponsored by Guitar Factory, Penrith. (2008) Check out
www.chriswright.com.au