Interview: Heath Wright of Ricochet Talks New Music and the Band’s Country Music Legacy
Interview: Heath Wright of Ricochet Talks New Music and the Band’s Country Music Legacy
Written by Amanda Tempel
For over 30 years, Ricochet has been a staple of country music with chart-topping hits and electrifying live performances. Lead singer Heath Wright sat down to discuss the band’s induction into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, their latest album Then and Now: The Hits and More, and more during CMA Fest in Nashville.
Amanda Tempel: You kicked off 2024 in a very big way, by being inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. What did that mean to you?
Heath Wright: It's still sinking in. I always dreamed about being in the same hall of fame as people like Merle Haggard and Toby Keith, who we recently had lost, and Joe Diffie, and just so many greats, Vince Gill, and the list goes on. It was a very special night for me, especially because I had two heroes that were there to do the induction, Dave Ennis and Greg Jennings from the group Restless Heart, who are also members. Man, it was just such a special night. We got to do a set. Dave and Greg both set in with our band. I don't even have the right words to say how honored I am to be part of that; it's just such a huge thrill.
AT: Congratulations on that! You recently released a new album “Then and Now.” It features the greatest hits that we know, and we love. But you also have 10 brand new songs on that record. Did you write any of these songs or how did you go about finding those?
HW: We just self-produced those 10 new cuts as well as the six re-recordings of the old hits. At the time, we had just left Columbia Records and every time we had 10 or $20,000 saved up, we would find a producer and we’d say we're gonna go in and try to cut some new music. We did that over a series of 15 years probably, maybe 10 years. It probably took us about 10 years to get it all together because we did it in bits and pieces. But then by the time we had enough stuff for an entire project, an entire CD or album, we just didn't have anyone to help us put it out there. We recently signed with the Encore Music Group here in Nashville. And they said, “Hey, you got anything new that we could put out?” And I said, “Well, it just so happens we do have 16 songs - 6 old hits and 10 brand new.” They called it “Then and Now: The Hits and More.”
AT: Something very cool about this project is that you have a limited-edition vinyl release of it. Vinyl is making such a huge comeback! That's got to be pretty exciting to see your record on vinyl.
HW: I think it's one of the coolest things about this project. They only pressed about 2,500 of them. Now, if you think about it in this day and age, most people listen to music on their phone. And there are a lot of people who don't even use earbuds for it. They just listen on these little, tiny speakers. It’s like we've gone back to the AM radio days or something. Music needs to be heard. It needs to be heard in stereo. I think my new obsession is vinyl. I've started collecting it. My dad had a bunch of old Hank Williams Sr. records. I've got all of those. I started going to record stores and just sifting through all their vinyl and just buying up everything that I like. I love the fact that we actually have our music on vinyl now.
AT: There's something about listening to an album from the start to finish, it gives you that whole entire experience.
HW: You wouldn't go to a movie and see one scene and say, “Okay, that's the one I wanted to see. I'm leaving now.” The movie is an experience from start to finish. It tells the story.
I think albums are the same way and people don't even listen to the album project anymore. They don't start with track one and listen all the way through. I take great pains in putting together the sequencing of songs. On our album, the six songs that we recorded, I put those in chronological order from the way we recorded it - it started with “What Do I Know” then “Daddy's Money,” and then on and on as we released them to radio. It's the chronology of our career basically. Then other things like the keys that our songs are in, or tempos that songs are in. You don't want too many slow songs in a row. Just certain little things like that, that you think about when you're putting together an album project that maybe a lot of listeners don't realize.
AT: You mentioned collecting vinyl, any favorites that you've found recently?
HW: I found a Merle Haggard live CD from Anaheim Stadium, and that's where he recorded the live version of “Rainbow Stew.” I've seen some live video footage of it. The people filled up the stadium that night and people were dancing and stomping the floor so much so that the upper level of the stadium was starting to rock, and you could see it. They put across the screen, “Please don't dance on the upper level, it's dangerous.”
AT: You have so much going on with the new record out. Are you doing a lot of touring? Anyone who has ever seen a Ricochet show knows that it's a show like no other!
HW: We are actually back on the road; things are starting to get really busy because it's fair and festival season. In the first quarter of the year, we only do about two or three shows a month. But I just love playing live. I mean, we just rushed over here from our performance at CMA Fest and it's just so good to look out there and see these people. I was a little worried that maybe they might not remember us because this was back in the 90s, almost 30 years ago, when these songs were released. And the people out there were singing along, just having a good time. It makes it worth the 11-hour trip here from Nebraska last night, it really was.
AT: Back in, I believe it was ‘96, CMA Fest was Fan Fair back then – Tower Records had a tent set up, and at the end of the week they’d tally which artists sold the most CDs and cassettes – and that particular year, Ricochet was the top-selling new artist.
HW: You remember? Wow. Somebody's done their homework here, Amanda. Way to go.
AT: Take us back to that time, any favorite memories from the days of Fan Fair?
HW: I do have a favorite memory. When I was a teenager, my mom, dad, and I along with Greg Cook, the original bassist of Ricochet would come out here for vacation. Remember Sylvia? “Nobody” and all those great songs. She was the Shania Twain of her day, and I had such a crush on her.
Me and Greg stood in line to get an autograph, and I got a poster, a big ole poster that I hung on my bedroom wall for years. She signed it and I, being this 13-year-old boy, worked up the nerve to ask Sylvia for a kiss. And she gave me a kiss smack on the lips! It was great! Just a little peck right on the lips. I've just held on to that memory forever.
Fast forward ten or fifteen years, here I am at Fan Fair as an artist. I had told that story to a newspaper guy, Brad Schmidt, I believe, who printed the story. And Sylvia had read or heard about it. One of my fans came through the autograph line with a signed Sylvia picture 8x10 – and by that time she was going by her married name, Sylvia Hutton. And it said, “Heath, come by the booth for a second kiss.” It's a great story, one of my favorite memories from my first Fan Fair!
AT: What a memory! Where can people find out the latest tour dates and see what the band is up to?
HW: We have a Facebook page and Instagram account. RicochetOnline.com is our website. You can go in there to see our tour schedule.
If you're into CDs still, you can go to AdoptACop.com. There’s a new organization that we recently partnered with called the Wounded Blue. If you go to their website, there's a page on there where you can order the CD for a $20 donation.
AT: Great music for a great cause.
HW: We gotta stand behind our men and women in blue!
AT: Absolutely! And Ricochet does a great job of that. I mean, nobody sings the national anthem like you guys either!
HW: Thank you very much. I appreciate that! I serve on a rodeo committee back home and one of my jobs is to find our national anthem singers. We got a lot of great talent in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. I remember back in the day when Carrie Underwood used to sing the anthem at that rodeo and used to sing on our little stage outside of the arena. I've found a lot of great singers in our area!
AT: Heath, thank you for taking the time to talk with me today - I can’t wait to see what Ricochet does next!
HW: Thank you - I appreciate it!
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