Background
He is the son of country singers Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells, and brother of Ruby Wright.
He is the son of country singers Johnnie Wright and Kitty Wells, and brother of Ruby Wright.
Although Wright was an able guitarist and vocalist, he had little interest in a music career. He became interested in acting when he learned that Peter Tewksbury, a television and film director, had a role for a young Southern boy who could play the guitar. Wright made the trip to Hollywood to test for Tewksbury.
While he did not get the role he went to California for, his screen test was seen by the producer of McHale"s Navy, who cast him in the new television comedy as Willy Moss, the PT-73 radio operator, a role he played through the entire series.
While McHale"s Navy was still in production, Wright decided to give music a try, beginning by working with his mother on one of her 1965 albums. Unhappy with the Hollywood scene after McHale"s Navy ended, he moved back to Nashville to start a music career.
Bobby Wright recorded for Decca, American Broadcasting Company and United Artists Records between 1967 and 1979, charting 21 singles on the Hot Country Songs charts. "Here I Go Again", which reached number 13 in 1971, was his highest-charting release.