Meet Kenny Wright

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kenny Wright a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kenny with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I think it’s a combination of traits inherited from my parents, who were both very hard workers, and also learning early on that nobody is going to “do it for you.” When I graduated from high school, I didn’t want to go to college. I tried to devote all my time to becoming a musician and developing my craft, so I worked all kinds of jobs that I hated just to keep the lights on, so to speak. When I started touring as a full-time job, a whole different type of work ethic was required to maintain that lifestyle. I’ve just always believed in getting your hands dirty and not waiting on the guy next to you to do the work so you don’t have to.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’ve been a professional musician for most of my life, so my focus remains on that. I started out playing in clubs around the Nashville area during my formative years, both as a side musician and with my own bands. I began touring in my twenties, and eventually landed in a band that kept me busy basically 365 days a year doing something. For the last 13 years I’ve been in a band called The Great Affairs. We’ve released a half dozen or more albums in that time, and played all over the US. While we’re not traveling as often as we once did, we have been able to be a bit more discerning about the gigs that we take, and therefore don’t suffer from the burnout that comes with traveling 200 plus days a year. I’ve always enjoyed traveling, so meeting new people and seeing places you’ve never seen before (and sometimes never again) is one of the things I enjoy most about being a musician. The creative process and the relationships with the people I work with are really what keep me engaged, though.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I came from a musical background, so I think I had a certain amount of musical ability that was inherited. I’m far from a virtuoso musician, but learning various instruments came fairly easy to me. I think a strong work ethic and basically trying to learn from every situation I find myself in has served me well over the years. I find it difficult to hand out advice, but if I could offer any words of wisdom they would be to always give 100%, even if you don’t feel like it. Learn your craft, and try and put yourself in situations that will give you the best chance to succeed. Figure out what you want and go for it, but learn to be flexible, open minded and adaptable.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I think the biggest challenge any musician at my level is facing now is how to survive in the streaming age. I used to make solid money from publishing royalties, but now that streaming pays a fraction of a cent for downloads, streams etc., there is just no money to be made there anymore. Unless your Taylor Swift, Drake or other hugely successful artists, the only way to make a living is touring and selling physical product. You can hardly give a CD away anymore, and touring still hasn’t come back all the way from the damage that was done during the pandemic, so staying employed I would say is the biggest challenge, both now and going forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thegreataffairs.com
• Instagram: thegreataffairs
• Facebook: The Great Affairs
• Youtube: The Great Affairs Band