Today is the day that we tend to ask, what is love, and how is it best expressed? Flowers? Poetry? Music? International concert pianist Danny Wright believes with all his heart in the latter.
This Valentine’s Day he offered lovers all over the world a unique way to express l’ amour to their loved ones by offering to compose original love songs in a customized keepsake package. Twenty-eight individuals embraced the opportunity to share their love stories with him, keeping him in the recording studio for months on end. The result is songs that he first intuits, then composes, performs, produces and ships out in a custom-designed gift package.
The resulting collection of love stories and songs, he says, are so moving that he plans to release a 2-CD set of the stories later this spring. The album, releasing via White Lyte Music LLC, will be Wright’s thirty-sixth album.
Wright says he is frequently asked what goes into creating a personal love song for two people he may never have met in person. He explains that the process begins with the giver of the gift writing a heartfelt paragraph to their loved one, which they initially share solely with Wright, alongside a list of the gift recipient’s favorite music. After absorbing all of this information, Wright says, the creative inspiration begins as he thinks about the appropriate mood and key for the musical love story. Once either a major or minor key is chosen, he waits for the melody or bridge to come through in such a way that befits the love story.
“I truly believe that the music is a gift from God,” Wright says, “and I am just here to deliver it. What I love about this process is that each piece becomes a work of art that captures the essence of someone who is deeply beloved to another.”
Each “giftee” receives five copies of their personal piano piece with their name on the cover, a Danny Wright performance video, a certificate of authenticity, and a note sharing all the wonderful things their loved one wrote on their behalf. Wright has proven particularly creative at designating a song title that captures both the recipient’s name and their special significance to their loved one. While certainly the ultimate romantic gift, his fans have also commissioned songs as gifts for mothers, mentors and community leaders. While there is a fee for each song, he says, it is well below what one might think from a pianist who has sold over 5 million albums. “I want to make this gift truly accessible to most people,” he says.
Today, ministry leader Sandy Walsh of Columbia, SC, received one of the special gift packages from her husband, author Chuck Walsh. “I opened the package and I just cried and laughed all at the same time. It’s the most incredible gift I’ve ever received; I can’t begin to tell you what it means to me.” Walsh, founder of the ministry A Child’s Answered Prayer, asked her husband how he’d found such an amazing gift. As it turns out, he had originally heard Wright’s music on Pandora.com, and loved it so much that he obtained the rights to Wright’s piece “Hayden’s Song” to use in the promotional video for his book titled “A Month of Tomorrows.”
Tara Watkins, a friend and longtime fan of Wright’s, chose to gift a personalized song to her husband, Brent, this Valentine’s Day, reciprocating the inspired gift he had given to her last year while their relationship seemed in jeopardy. “I truly believe that special song was a God-given gift that helped us to chart a new path in our lives,” said Watkins, a resident of Lufkin, TX. “When I tried to think of something special to give to Brent for Valentine’s Day this year, I realized that a heartfelt song would mean and say so much more than any material gift I could buy for him. It’s a simply timeless gift.”
Originally, Wright thought he would follow up his 2011 release, Soul 2 Soul, with another 12-song CD of the love songs, but he and his team couldn’t choose from among the 28 tracks. “They’re all so lovely,” co-producer Cheri White said of the new pieces, “It seemed a shame to pick just 12, so we’re opting for a double album of all 28 tracks, complete with liner notes about the story behind each love song.”
Wright has twice been named by Billboard Magazine as a Top 10 artist in his genre, with three of his albums ranking in Billboard's Top 10 New Age Albums for three consecutive years. His most recent release, Soul 2 Soul, spent several weeks on Amazon.com’s Easy Listening Bestseller’s list.
As a Steinway and PianoDisc artist, Wright celebrates the pure piano music, while steering close to fellow contemporaries Tom Barabas, George Winston, Dave Grusin, David Foster, Billy Joel, and Barbra Streisand. A native Texan based in Las Vegas, Wright’s command of musical textures and tones crosses the Contemporary, New Age and Christian genres.
Heart 2 Heart is slated for a late-May 2012 release; Soul 2 Soul is currently available for purchase via iTunes and Amazon, and at fine music stores everywhere via distribution by Inner Knot and E1 Entertainment. White Lyte Music plans to reissue several of Wright’s best-selling albums including An Intimate Christmas, Real Romance, Keys From My Heart, and Walking in Faith; all albums will be available both digitally and at brick-and-mortar retail stores.
Danny Wright can be reached for concert and custom music requests via the Contact page on his website at www.dannywright.com
Links:
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About Danny Wright
Danny Wright is an international concert pianist who has sold over 6 million albums since his debut in 1986. Wright’s talent stems from musical training from age 4, studying with some of the best piano instructors in the world. He has been named twice by Billboard Magazine as a Top 10 artist in his genre, with three of his albums in Billboard's Top 10 New Age Albums for three consecutive years. He is currently represented by White Lyte Music LLC in Las Vegas, NV, and is founder of the Danny Wright Foundation of Music. His music is distributed by Inner Knot / E1 Distribution.
