Priscilla Wright born August 14, 1940

Priscilla Wright (born August 14, 1940) is a Canadian singer most famous for the song "The Man in the Raincoat", which she first released in 1955, and re-recorded in 1988.

Don Wright

Priscilla Wright was born in London, Ontario. Her father was choir conductor and composer Don Wright, and her maternal grandfather was Canadian Prime Minister Arthur Meighen. When little Priscilla Wright was in school, a teacher instructed her to sing soprano in the school choir. At home, her father, a choral leader, thought her voice sounded strained. He had a suggestion. "I put it down a half-octave," she said, "and this other voice came out." In the 1950s, her father began writing the catchy, irresistible and, it must be said, sometimes annoying (but always unforgettable) tunes that would earn him the nickname Canada's Jingle King. He immortalized the attributes of soap, gas stations, chocolate bars and Carling's Red Cap ale. 

One of his earliest efforts was a ditty for Bromo-Seltzer for which he pressed his daughter into service. "Lum-dum-da-dum da-dum da-dum," she sang, "I'll take Bromo for fast relief." The jingle was a huge success, the singer sounding carefree and sophisticated. Record companies and talent agencies came looking for the unknown vocalist, only to discover she was a schoolgirl with braces on her teeth. Mr. Wright signed an agreement with Sparton, a local label, which in 1955 released a platter recorded at radio station CFPL, where Mr. Wright was manager.

                                      

Please Have Mercy was the song designed to launch the girl's career. Instead, it was the record's flip side that took off. "My little soul just went into it," she said. Her lovely contralto became a celebrated voice. At the age of 14 years old, her rendition of Man in a Raincoat made her a cross-border sensation. The sheet music, which included a photograph of her cuddling a kitten, sold in the hundreds of thousands. The 78-rpm record climbed to the top of the hit parade in Canada and It sold over half a million copies in the U.S. and hit No. 16 on Billboard's chart of "Most Played by Jockeys". No less a vocalist than Ella Fitzgerald encouraged her to "keep singing, honey." 

Her maternal grandfather, Arthur Meighen, the former Conservative prime minister, told Maclean's magazine he was proud of his only granddaughter. "I don't know the first thing about music," he said, "but I know Priscilla is a success, so she must have worked hard and have talent." In the fall, Miss Wright was invited to join a road show emceed by disc jockey Bill Randle. On Oct. 20, the line-up for a daytime concert at Brooklyn High School in a Cleveland suburb included Pat Boone, the Four Lads, Bill Haley and His Comets, and a young man making his first performance north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Miss Wright took the stage just before Mr. Presley. "He was kind of shy. Quiet. Polite. He was different backstage than he was on stage. As soon as his name was called, his lip would droop. The public Elvis was different than the real one." She played several shows with Mr. Presley, who would not make his debut on Mr. Sullivan's television program until the following year.

Her label sought to cash in on her unexpected success, although other releases failed to capture the public's imagination. (Among them was I Wanna Dance to a Mambo Combo, a novelty song written by comedian Johnny Wayne and Bobby Gimby) A second hit proved elusive. Still, a long and spectacular career seemed possible for the little lady from a small farm outside London, Ontario. Instead, on the cusp of stardom, she watched her parents reject contract offers from Hollywood and record companies, insisting she complete her education. She would graduate from the University of Toronto and continue to sing, although the momentum of her career had been lost.

She later married the broadcast journalist Geoff Scott, whom she helped win five consecutive elections as a Progressive Conservative member of Parliament. (They have since divorced.) In Ottawa, she revived her career as a pop and jazz vocalist, enjoying a long tenure at the Chateau Laurier Hotel with band leader Moxie Whitney. She returned to the Canadian charts in 1985 with a Michael Bolton song. Three years later, she issued a re-recording of the song that made her famous, which again placed high on the Canadian charts. She also enjoyed sold-out symphony performances in Toronto and Hamilton. In 1992, she released her first album. When You Love Somebody earned her a Juno nomination the following year as most promising female vocalist. The honour came 38 years after she had her first hit. She performed at theatres, conventions and jazz festivals, including the main stage of the Montreal Jazz Festival and with top bands such as Peter Appleyard and his Swing Fever Band.

She released her album "The Singer and the Song" in 2002, which gained coast to coast U.S. airplay and rave reviews. In 2000, Priscilla was chosen as vocalist for a new Mart Kenney Big Band CD, recorded in Vancouver with the finest musicians. Rave reviews included such comments as: "The sultry, yet coy vocals of Priscilla Wright add a complex elegance making this a magical event for player and listener alike." In 2005, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland invited her to perform to mark the 50th anniversary of the Brooklyn High show she did with Elvis Presley. In 2012, Priscilla was invited back to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a book launch. In 2016, in her hometown, Priscilla was inducted into the London Music Hall of Fame. While she no longer tours extensively, her official website highlights her recent band projects and ongoing musical legacy.

(Edited from "The Globe & Mail" & Wikipedia)