Overton Vertis "O. V." Wright (October 9, 1939 – November 16, 1980) was an … Read Full Bio ↴Overton Vertis "O. V." Wright (October 9, 1939 – November 16, 1980) was an American rhythm & blues and soul singer.

Born in Leno, Tennessee, Wright, as a youngster, began singing in the church. In 1956, while still in high school, he joined The Sunset Travelers as one of the lead singers for the gospel group. He later fronted a gospel music group, the Harmony Echoes. It was during this time that he was discovered (along with James Carr) by Roosevelt Jamison a songwriter and manager. Their first pop recording in 1964 was "That's How Strong My Love Is," a ballad later covered by Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones. It was issued on Goldwax, the label Wright signed to after leaving his gospel career. It was later determined that Don Robey still had him under a recording contract, due to his gospel group having recorded for Peacock. After his contract was shifted to Don Robey’s Back Beat label, further R&B hits followed. Working with record producer Willie Mitchell, success continued on songs including "Ace of Spades" and "A Nickel and a Nail".
Wright's hits were much more popular in the deep South. His biggest hits were "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" (R&B #6, 1965), "Eight Men, Four Women" (R&B #4, 1967) "Ace of Spades" (R&B #11, 1970), "A Nickel and a Nail" (R&B #19, 1971). The remainder of his 17 hits charted higher than #20 on the R&B charts.
However, Wright was imprisoned for narcotics offenses during the mid-1970s, and, despite signing for Hi Records and releasing a series of recordings, his commercial success failed to recover after his release. A continuing drug problem weakened his health and he died from a heart attack, in Mobile, Alabama at age 41.

Wright is among the most remembered voices of soul music, perhaps mostly for being sampled frequently in hip hop music. In 1996, his song, "Motherless Child" was sampled on the Ghostface Killah album Ironman on a song also called "Motherless Child." It and another Wright recording, "Let's Straighten It Out" have been published on Shaolin Soul, a compilation of tracks that have been sampled by the Wu Tang Clan and its members. "Let's Straighten It Out" was sampled in a Wu-Tang Clan song called "America" from the charity compilation album America Is Dying Slowly. "Ace of Spades" was sampled by Slim Thug and the Boss Hogg Outlawz on a song named "Recognize A Playa".
Johnny Rawls joined Wright's backing band in the mid-1970s, and played together with Wright until the latter's death in 1980. The band then continued billed as the O.V. Wright Band for another 13 years, and toured and performed with other musicians over this time span. These included B.B. King, Little Milton, Bobby Bland, Little Johnny Taylor, and Blues Boy Willie.

Lazarus
O.V. Wright Lyrics

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That's not happening now
Space between us grows
Still someway, somehow
I'm tuned into the zone
Tuned into the zone
That's not happening now
Space between us grows
Still someway, somehow

I'm tuned into the zone
Tuned into the zone

I'm honestly glad that none of this worked out
I'm glad that I'm finally home
If there's something of value in ashes
It's the strength to build life on my own
I should've known
Look, I don't pretend to be anybody else
Let it be clear that you can't do the same things that I do
I'm in ya main vein and I prove
I can do anything, what's the move
I can turn old symphonic into new
Lemme chill, lemme cool 'fore I do
Turn all ya energy into the food

For the heart, mind, body, and soul
Go where the frequency's low
Stay away from all the things
Keep them close enough to know
For the heart, mind, body and soul
Tell yourself, yes tell yourself
You know everything
For the heart, mind, body, and soul
Go where the frequency's low
Stay away from all the things
Keep them close enough to know
For the heart, mind, body and soul
Trust

That's not happening now
Space between us grows
Still someway, somehow
I'm tuned into the zone
Tuned into the zone
That's not happening now
Space between us grows
Still someway, somehow

I'm tuned into the zone
Tuned into the zone

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Lazarus" by O.V. Wright and the Sunset Travelers touch on the themes of resilience, personal growth, and finding one's path.

The first verse talks about a growing distance between the singer and someone else. Even though they're not as close as they used to be, the singer still feels connected to this person or something intangible ("the zone"). The second verse switches to the singer reflecting on a past relationship or situation that didn't work out. They're thankful for the experience, though, because even though it may have burned down ("ashes"), they were able to rebuild something new and valuable from it. The following verse could be interpreted as a boast about the singer's abilities and talent, or as an admonishment to someone who may be trying to copy or compete with them. Overall, the song sends a message of trusting oneself, staying true to one's purpose or values, and keeping one's perspective on what really matters in life.

LazarusO.V. Wright Lyrics

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Lazarus
O.V. Wright Lyrics