I was born in Southern California. I found myself in Hollywood at age 5 and then off to the San Fernando Valley where I've lived ever since. My first instrument was a toy organ that my mother bought for me when I was 7. One of the first songs I ever learned was the "The House Of The Rising Sun." That being my first introduction to playing rock music as it was then. She later bought me a classical acoustic guitar. I didn't really take the instrument seriously but then when I was a young teenager I was asked by some friends in the neighborhood if I could play bass. I wanted so much to be in rock band having just seen Woodstock so, I said "yea, sure, that only has four strings right?" I begged my mom and she bought me a Fender P-Bass. My hands were too small for that fine instrument and I was really into Jack Bruce of Cream at the time so I traded it for a Gibson EBO. Something I still regret doing.

My first band was called "Black Snake". The important thing to remember here is that this changed my path in life. At the time I had been in a military academy for 9 years and was being groomed to go to the Air Force Academy. I was a Captain at my school and I was second in command of the battalion but I found such a new found excitement when I was playing my bass. I asked my mom to let me become a musician and leave the military behind, well, with the Viet Nam War in her memory, she was very enthusiastic about this change.

The guys I played with were much older than me - I was 14 they were 17 to 19. We'd play the Friday night high school dance after the big game then Saturday we'd play a college fraternity party. Usually at U.C.L.A. or U.S.C. We'd do one whole set of just the song "Spoonful" which really helped hone my improve skills. A couple years later I put an original project together called "Satyr". We started playing the Hollywood clubs and landed ourselves a backer/manager. We knew of a guy who was the first one to be develop Crypton lasers so we got him to join forces with us to put on a real elaborate sci-fi rock show complete with costume changes, smoke machine, flash pots and staging all in chrome paneling. We stayed together for 6 years packing the most popular club in Hollywood called The Starwood.

Unfortunately for us it was the time period of New Wave music. I remember my manager saying, "if you guys just cut your hair and wore white shirts with little ties, I could get you signed". Well, we were real progressive, along the lines of Genesis meets Zepplin so that wouldn't work. Interesting note about the members is that famed rock producer Pat Regan (Kiss, Deep Purple) was the keyboard player. We're still good friends and have collaborated on many records since those days. Satyr's guitar player (Bob Stephen) joined up with Kevin Dubrow replacing Randy Rhodes in his band, which had changed their name from Quiet Riot to DuBrow. I was later asked to play bass with DuBrow as well.

I remember I was in 3 bands at that time to help make ends meet. I remember doing a show with DuBrow at The Country Club opening for Motorhead then getting off stage, jumping in a car and heading over the Hollywood hills to the Troubadour where my band, Satyr, was headlining. DuBrow did some demos that got producer Spencer Proffers interest but he wanted a different guitar player so I suggested Carlos Cavazo from the band Snow. Done deal - we went into the studio and cut the majority of what became the 10 million seller "Metal Health". Sadly Randy Rhodes was killed in a plane crash while on tour with Ozzy Osbourne and Rudy Sarso who I had replaced wanted to be back with his former band buddies, so it was thanks and goodbye to your humble narrator. I'm playing bass on the songs "Bang Your Head" and "Don't Wanna Let You Go" as well as singing backgrounds on every track on that land mark release.The first "Metal" record to go to #1.

I later put a very cool new sounding band together that featured Pat Torpey on drums (now with Mr. Big), the late John Purdell on lead vocals and keys (producer of Ozzy & Heart), Gene Black on Guitars (who went on to write the hit songs "Never " for Heart and "Love Touch" for Rod Stewart) and Pat Regan on keys. Just as we were beginning to make a stir here in L.A. opening for Huey Lewis then Zebra, I was asked to redo the bass tracks for the band Giuffria's debut record on M.C.A. and later joined the band. At the same time Gene also got a deal with hit songstress Holy Knight on Chrysalis.

Although my time with Giuffria was brief, all of 11 months, it was a whirlwind. We had a huge hit song in "Call To Your Heart" and we set out on a sold out arena tour with Deep Purple then onto the highly successful Foreigner tour. We later went over to Japan and headlined. It was at this time that I was contacted by Kevin DuBrow about re-joining Quiet Riot. They offered me an equal cut plus I could be a writer on all the new songs with them. In Giuffria it was really the Dave Eisley and Gregg Giuffria show for the most part. Craig Goldy quit Giuffria and joined Dio for the same reasons.

So onto the problems of the making of QR3. Politics, politics, politics... Finally after months of suspensions and the silent treatment from the producer/record company president, we went in and recorded the album. We were joined by my late friend, John Purdell, he added keyboards to a lot fo the material. We did a headlining tour of the states and Japan. During this time there was a lot of pressure from management, media and the label to let Kevin go.

This is a strange because after all, it was his band in the first place. We searched for a singer and hooked up with Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino. After the change, we found ourselves now being ignored by the label. For me the writing was on the wall. Without the label behind us and without Kevin, QR looked over to me. I then hooked up with Chris Impellitteri to do his record with Pat Torpey and Gram Bonett, then I got a call from Gregg Giuffria telling me that we would have a deal with Gene Simmons new custom label with R.C.A./B.M.G. if we just put a killer band together but this time, without Giuffria vocalist Dave Eisley.

We saw Ken Mary with Alice Cooper and had to have him in the band, Gregg brought in Lanny Cordola from the 2nd Giuffria record and I asked the singer (James Christian) in a band called "Eyes" that I was recording with to join. We made a couple 12 track demos and whammo - we had the deal. We brought in producer/engineer legend Andy Johns to get us that killer Zep sound. Gene deemed us "House Of Lords". We went on to tour the U.S. with Cheap Trick, went over to Europe for a sold out tour with The Scorpions then back to play with Ozzy and Queensryche. Lanny quit the band do to "the missing money" we were supposed to get at the end of the tour. I would've as well, but I was holding out for the next record which was "Sahara".

The money never showed up but we made one fine rock-n-roll record. We went on a sold out tour with Nelson of the states, had some success at MTV then Gene Simmons lost his label deal with R.C.A. so we all went our separate ways. This was a tough time in my life. I just lost my mother to Cancer, my band to bad business, my fiance' and I spit up and my Mercedes blew up. Ouch!! I kind of went into hiding and regrouped. I got a call from Kevin DuBrow in the mid 1990's to go in and record a new Quiet Riot record called "Bad to the Bone". He had managed to put the band back together and wanted me on the record and to tour with them.

This unfortunately was kind of a dead end deal as they were on a very small independent so I focused on session work (I'm now up to 60 records as a bassist/songwriter and I started developing a talent for computer-generated art. It was just a hobby that has now turned into a side business) I got into producing bands, working on movie soundtracks, doing some out of the country touring with various acts, anything if it was creative.

Early on in 2002, I started doing shows with guitar legend Ronnie Montrose then I got a call to audition for Alice Cooper. I ended up doing his 5-month, 17-country tour in 2002. It was an amazing experience. Moscow, Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen...on and on.

After my return I went into the studio to record Mr. Big / Influences & Connections. It's a very unique project in which Mr. Big songs were revisited featuring all star vocalists and guest musicians as well as Mr. Big band members. I played bass on the majority of the tracks. Ann Wilson of Heart , John Waite of The Baby's and Bad English (pictured ) Deep Purple alumni, Glen Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner, Mickey Thomas from Starship, Doug Pinnik and Ty Tabor from King's X, Guest guitarists include Steve Lukather of Toto, Lanny Cordola from House Of Lords, Marty Friedman, Gene Black and Yngwie Malmsteen. Matt Sorum of Guns-N-Roses and The Cult fame is playing drums on a track. Pat Torpey handles all the other songs.

I then went out on tour filling in for bass icon Tim Bogert with the legendary Vanilla Fudge to Europe. Which brings me to the present and the reunification of the House Of Lords band. There's been a strong interest from fans for us to put it back together again. The CD "The Power And The Myth" has just been released on Frontiers Records worldwide and I'm doing a lot of international interviews for it. Please check out my NEWS link for all current information on what's going on with me.

To all my friends and fans, I wish you all the best in what life has to offer.

Remember, this isn't a dress rehearsal!!

Cheers,

Chuck Wright
May 2004