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people know about Otis Clay, who was really a fantastic singer but not too many people know about O.V.
Wright.

O.V. Wright had a gospel beginning and he cut a number of sides, eventually ending up on Hi Records, but he,
unfortunately, passed away after a period of addiction at a very young age. I think he was 48 in 1980, and I’d
gotten to listen to his records, and they were just off the scale—great.

There’s an intensity about his singing. I would say that I like him much more than I do Al Green.

There’s a rawness and a real searing passion and it was the early days of the internet and I’d come across
some folks who had realised he laid in an unmarked grave since 1980. This was about 2008, 2009. So I got in
touch with them, and we put on some shows here and I ended up raising enough money and donating to pay
for a substantial part of the gravestone and we went to Memphis for the dedication ceremony, and it was
pretty extraordinary. On the Saturday night, there was a private party we’d organised which had the Hi
Rhythm Section, so the Hodges Brothers, played on all those records and Floyd Newman, Mr ‘Last Night’, one
of the first hits on Stax, was on horns. O.V. Wright’s son sang. As did Otis Clay and O.V. Wright’s high school
turned up, the class of 1955, which was amazing.

On the Sunday, we went to the graveside dedication and his family were there, his sister. Ada McWright was
her name. Otis Clay was there, and we all stood graveside and O.V. Wright’s son sang Amazing Grace at the
dedication to the gravestone. One of the most extraordinary experiences I’ve ever had. Willy Mitchell didn’t
make it. He wasn’t very well at that stage, but I know some folks who’d gone to meet him the Friday before,
but I’m keeping the flame alight for O.V. Wright here, so a big shout out for those records.

BiTS: Let’s talk a bit about your music.
Two albums which were pretty
successful “Dress for the Money” and
“American Accent”. Studio efforts, both of
them?
MM: Yes.

BiTS: As far as I know, you’ve not done
anything which is live yet.

MM: Nothing live yet. No, I haven't done
that yet. I have a really good partnership
with Phil Dearing. He plays the guitars
and keys on those records, and we spend
a lot of time in the studio making things
happen. “American Accent”, I think, was
2015 and then “Dress for the Money” was
2017, maybe. And Mike Lightfoot, who’s
passed on, unfortunately, on Saint FM,
was a big champion of that record and all
the folks in the IBBA.

BiTS: Unfortunately, Ollie, I’ve never had
the pleasure of seeing you, but I’m told
that you dress for the money. You don’t
turn up in shorts and a dirty shirt.

MM: [Laughing] Where did you hear
that? Yes. Yes, it’s important to me, so I
like to keep smart, put on a show. I have
the guys in the band wear black suits and
red shirts and what have you. What did
B.B. King say? You should dress like
you’re going to borrow money from the bank [laughing].

BiTS: How right you are. I get so fed up with seeing people shuffle onto the stage with shorts and dirty
sneakers and all that kind of stuff. Doesn’t matter how good they are, it detracts from them.