Fun Facts

Height:
4'11"

Hair:
Blonde....ok...Highlighted :-)

Eyes:
Blue

Birthday:
May 31, 1980

Sign:
Gemini
(Libra Rising, Capricorn Moon!)

Siblings:
Two brothers, 8 and 10 years older than me.

Favorite Music:
Brian McKnight, Liittle Big Town, Joss Stone, Karla Bonoff, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Chris Rice, Brandon Heath, Chris Tomlin, Avalon, Rascal Flatts, David Wilcox, Michael McDonald...too many to name! Music matches my mood for the day.

Favorite Color:
Blue (and Pink)

Favorite Place to Go:
Fort Walton Beach, FL

Children:
Kaylie, Rannie, and hoping to adopt Libbie!

Pets:
Kitties outside.

Hobbies:
Being with my girls and my family (I have the greatest parents and brothers in the world!), Singing, Songwriting, Web Designing, Swimming, Water Skiing (thanks Buzz and Charlotte!!), Tennis, Basketball, Golf (ok...this is a new one for me!), and just hanging out with a few good friends.

Favorite Foods:
Mexican Food!
Dad's Stir Fry and Italian food
Mom's Tater Soup and Thanksgiving Dressing
Chocolate Pie
Chocolate Dunkers
(There's not a lot I DON'T like to eat!)

Favorite Season:
Summer

Favorite Holiday:
Christmas

Biography

I was born May 31, 1980, the youngest of three children, in Harrison, Arkansas.  I began doing pageants at age 3, and started the talent portion of them by age 4.  At age 6, during a talent show, Mr. Warren Stokes was watching and asked if I'd like to join his country music show in Eureka Springs, AR.  I began working there three nights a week, while attending public school in Harrison. 

I worked there for 3 years before joining the Blackwood Brothers Quartet in Branson, Missouri.  After working there a while, I was invited to join a new group called the Young Branson Stars, performing six days a week.  Shortly before performing there, I wrote my first song, entitled "Hold Me" at age 12 while listening to a music box in my Grandmother's basement. I later performed it with the Young Branson Stars.  After working with the group for three years, I decided to focus on my last three years of high school and continue my music career afterwards.

I wouldn't trade those years for anything.  I was a captain of the cheerleading squad, an editor of the high school newspaper, participated in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as an All-Star cheerleader, and was elected Homecoming Queen.  I also had a little time to focus more on my songwriting, and discovered that I enjoyed that as much as I did singing.

At age 16, I started an Internet business called "Thoughts Expressed," where I custom wrote songs for individuals using their thoughts and feelings. 

After graduating high school in 1998, I received an academic scholarship to the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas.  I attended for one year, and was elected into Alpha Sigma Alpha.  But all I could think about was how much I wanted to write songs. 

In 1999, I moved 8 hours from home to Nashville, TN to further my songwriting career.  I lived there for 8 months, and met so many people that have become influential in my career.  I was elected into ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) and later joined NSAI (Nashville Songwriters' Association International).  

In March of 2000, I moved back to Harrison and decided to take a break from music.  I wanted to try out the "normal life" and got a job working on the web for FedEx Freight in Harrison, AR. I got married and had a beautiful baby girl in May of 2001. Kaylie is the highlight of my life, and she is quickly becoming the next entertainer in the family!   

I couldn't stay away from music entirely, though! In December of 2001, I finished writing a score of 13 songs for a Christmas play, that was created by Mr. Mitch Sparks in Hardy, Arkansas.  I was invited to opening night of the play, and for the first time, watched my work being performed by other entertainers.  It was an incredible feeling!

Around that same time, I decided to add CD duplication to my existing business.  I also decided to change the name from “Thoughts Expressed” to “Leslie Wright Productions” to allow for this addition as well as other additions in the future.  

After working 40 hour weeks and realizing that I was far from the life I wanted to have, I made a decision to get back into music. On May 13, 2002, I began performing again full time at a country music show called the Ozark Mountain Hoe Down in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  I've been blessed with a job that I absolutely love and look forward to everyday.  The show is fantastic and I couldn't ask for better people.  I'm working with outstanding musicians, as well as some excellent songwriters.  Come see us!  Visit www.hoedown.net for ticket and show schedule information.

Unfortunately, the music life is a very different lifestyle with a demanding schedule, and not everyone can adjust to living that way. In October of 2002, my husband and I separated.  He went back to his normal life, and I continued the life I now realized was MY "normal" life all along - music. Kaylie is doing great, and still continues to delight us everyday!   We’re very proud of her and love her with all our hearts.  She loves the stage and also enjoys taking dance...especially recital time. :-) No idea where she gets that from!

Around mid-2003, I began to focus more on my songwriting again and decided to get to work on some projects that had been collecting dust for a while.  With the help of some of my friends at the Hoe Down, my songs began coming together and my writing grew a little stonger.  In July of 2003, I made a trip to Nashville and met a few more contacts that have been very influential to my songwriting.  I was asked to start making more frequent trips to Nashville, and I try very hard to go there as much as possible.

2004 was a great year as well! I met a man from England named Allen Jesson who has a website called A Gift of Poetry. We joined forces and came up with a new site called A Gift Of Harmony, which is almost a new version of my first business "Thoughts Expressed". We added a few other companies in 2004 as well, including Guestbook World, Songwriters Recording Studio, and Web Design Wright Now. Little did I know that Allen would lead me to another business opportunity in a couple of years.

Allen worked with me and we traded out some song copyrights for his knowledge of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I studied for 3 years and have added the most successful business yet to Leslie Wright Productions. I am now able to bring a website to page one on Google for just about any keyword (within reason) and I thoroughly enjoy it. The best part about my job is watching the results of my work bring a major profit increase to my clients. It's been a blessing, and I feel like I am helping others out as well.

By 2006, I had started many great business partnerships had to close a few smaller sites in order to take care of the larger ones. I added WorkPajamas.com to my web design business. This is a fun business because I show people how to turn their hobby into a profitable business. Later in the year, I got the opportunity to be in a motion picture - just by circumstance. Film crews rolled into Eureka Springs, Arkansas to shoot part of their movie "War Eagle, Arkansas" and needed a music theater for one scene. They chose the Ozark Mountain Hoe-Down and then decided they'd like Randall and I to write the song for the scene. As luck would have it, they ended up using our song, our track, and then asked us to perform it for the scene. What an experience! It took 8 hours to film one verse and chorus of a song! It was very exciting, though, and I was honored to be in the film.

I'd say 2007 was the beginning of the rest of my life. I finally got a lot of things set in stone and began seeing the beginnings of some very big opportunities in all areas of my life. I expanded with a few more businesses including the Eureka Springs Network and Sparkles by Leslie. I also realized that in order to work hard, I needed to make time to play hard. I got back into a few more things I love - like water skiing and being on the lake. It's amazing how much a little play time will do for your senses! I began to finally figure out that life was about finding that perfect balance of work and play, and everything started turning around for me. We also started spending more time with Randall and Rannie, and Rannie has become like another daughter to me. Kaylie and Rannie will tell you they're sisters and they'll argue with you if you try to tell them differently! Rannie spends a lot of time with us, and we're so glad to have her in the family!

In 2008 I really started focusing in on songwriting. Randall and I started the Ultimate Songwriters Workshop in order to bring Nashville to our side of town and influence some other talented writers in the area. It was a great success and we look forward to holding it every year at the Hoe-Down. During our first workshop, we had one participant signed to a publishing deal! We met some amazing folks and we are very exciting about continuing this workshop.

2009 might just be the most interesting year yet. In addition to starting a few more businesses, I realized that something was missing in our lives and we decided to take on the journey of adopting a little sister for Kaylie. We started the process in February, and we're looking forward to meeting "Libbie" when we find her. I thought our new sister should be named Libby, but Kaylie and Rannie informed me that "Libby" should be spelled "Libbie" to match their names. I had to agree with them! So the search begins for Libbie - we'll tell you more when we meet her!

Thanks for visiting my site, and be sure to drop me a line on my guestbook. Take care and God Bless!

More Fun Facts:
* My Dad and my oldest brother, Scott, are both pilots.
* My other brother, Jamey, is also a singer/songwriter.
* My mom is my best friend and pretty much gave up her life to encourage and support mine. THANK YOU is never enough!
* My dad is the greatest man on this earth...you've never met a more generous and kind guy. (I think he had this planned so no man could ever measure up! HA HA.)
* My grandma (my dad's mother) was a tightrope walker in the circus when she was young.
* My "Pa" and "Granny" (my mom's parents) are big bluegrass fans! Pa had 9 brothers and sisters and most of them played a bluegrass instrument!
* My Dad's brothers and sisters all play music and sing. My Uncle Kenny plays an EXCELLENT Dobro!
* I've been fortunate in my life to have many friends...but I have one friend that has been there for me since kindergarten. Not everyone can say they have a "lifetime friend", but I can! She is also a Gemini and her birthday is one week after mine. Love ya, Bonni!
* There is one person that I have met in the past few years that has made me feel the kind of love that I had only felt for my daughter until the past couple of years. This person is also my best friend, makes me laugh and cry, turns my world upside down and sideways, and keeps me hoping it will never stop! LOVE YOU!