Chuck Wright is an American bassist, songwriter, singer, music producer, and live event producer. He is an active and omnipresent fixture in the Los Angeles musical community.
Wright founded Ultimate Jam Night, a bi-monthly themed live music event now held at the landmark Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood since 2016. Now a cornerstone of the Los Angeles music scene. Wright’s Ultimate Jam Night regularly features up to 80 professional musicians per show and has become a proving ground for both established artists and rising talent.
Musicians perform unrehearsed cover tunes and originals in a 2.5‑hour, themed show. Visit ultimatejamnight.com. The event is free for 21+ attendees, with under‑21s paying $10, and is known for its mix of rock, comedy, and charitable tie‑ins.
Besides organizing around 50 performers per gig, Wright comes up with the show's theme and is also the graphic designer, creating the show posters and social media reels. He is partnered with Adam Mandel, who has been with him since the beginning. Mandel is the production and stage manager and writes the show script for their host/MC, stand-up comedian and actor Hal Sparks from VH1 and E! Entertainment’s Talk Soup. Wright’s main social media press person is Jessica Chase, assisted by Mari Kawaguchi. The unit is about to do their 297th show.
On Tuesday, Jul 28th, from 8:00 pm to 11:55 pm, Wright and team will present Back In Black, a tribute anniversary show of AC/DC’s legendary album and Songs in the Key of Black.
Wright’s connection to the Whisky A Go Go is both professional and cultural — he has used the venue as the home base for Ultimate Jam Night, which has become a staple of the Sunset Strip’s live music scene BraveWords. The show has attracted 3,000 guest performers and millions of viewers worldwide. BraveWords+1.
Chuck is also a central figure in the Los Angeles-based eclectic acoustic project UnZepped, which reimagines legendary Led Zeppelin songs, infusing them with a moody, atmospheric feel that channels the essence of American blues and English folk.
Renowned for his versatility and musicality, Wright has become one of rock’s most sought-after bassists, collaborating with legendary artists including Alice Cooper, Slash, Gregg Allman, Carmine Appice, Ronnie Montrose, John Waite, and Pat Travers. His extensive discography spans over 100 worldwide releases, encompassing genres as diverse as rock, ambient trance, reggae, rap, and country. Wright has also contributed to seven film scores, notably Universal's Kull the Conqueror, alongside Matt Sorum of Guns N’ Roses and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Throughout his career, Wright has worked with an impressive roster of artists and bands, including House of Lords, Mr. Big, Bad Moon Rising, Blackthorne, Doro, Impellitteri, Kuni, Michael Schenker Group (MSG), Stephen Pearcy (Ratt), Adler’s Appetite, Love/Hate, and the late Shane Gibson (Korn), among many others.
Chuck’s breakthrough came in 1984 with the band Giuffria, whose debut album produced the hit single “Call to the Heart” (Billboard Hot 100 #15). Following sold-out arena tours alongside Deep Purple and Foreigner.
Wright rejoined Quiet Riot in 1986, recording and co-writing material for QRIII and supporting the album on a worldwide tour. He has been an-on-and-off-again member for 26 years, departing in late 2021.
Wright continues to perform live with Legends of Classic Rock and is proudly endorsed by Ampeg, Godin Guitars, S.I.T. Strings, and CAD Audio.
Author Lonn Friend documented his experiences in the heavy metal and pop rock music world. He penned Life on Planet Rock and Sweet Demotion. I asked him via email about Chuck Wright.
“During my early late eighties tenure as Executive Editor of RIP magazine, I was getting to know numerous members of the hard rock / heavy metal community. Gene Simmons pulled me aside at a music biz party one evening to offer insights and counsel on how to be a successful publication in a very competitive and loud pulp community. The timing of our debut encounter coincided with KISS’s master of marketing and promotion’s latest big deal - Simmons Records, an imprint financed by RCA.
“The label’s debut offering was 1988’s self-titled House of Lords LP featuring a quartet of well-traveled, successful players that included keyboardist Gregg Giuffria, drummer Ken Mary, vocalist James Christian, guitarist Lanny Cordola, and bassist Chuck Wright.
“I attended the lavish release party in Las Vegas at the House of Lords restaurant inside the old Sahara Hotel. It was one RIP ROARING event. Chuck and I connected instantly. We both grew up in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley, loved prog rock, especially Yes, ELP, Genesis and King Crimson. He was at the craps table with me, nursing a cocktail, when our hometown Dodgers’ Kirk Gibson slammed the famous walk-off home run to beat the Oakland A’s in Game 1 of the ’88 World Series. We became fast friends. An hour later, we continued our buzzed bonding in the Elvis Suite of the nearly Desert Inn. A memorable night on all fronts.
“I personally hit the road many times to catch the band perform live during their first and second album campaigns. They were solid instrumentalists, a tight, seasoned outfit. Gregg had his mesmerizing Keith Emerson moments, Lanny could shred with speed and soul and the rhythm section was balls-out badass. Especially Chuck. His Quiet Riot chops hadn’t lost a step. I came to realize how hard he worked on his craft. Chuck loved creating sonic soundscapes on his four-string; in the studio, on stage, on the tour bus, at home - anywhere and everywhere. RIP devoted ample pages to the band’s debut as well as their impressive sophomore effort, Sahara. During my syndicated Pirate Radio Saturday Night run from ‘92 to ‘94, I’d regularly spin their hypnotic cover of the Blind Faith classic, "Can’t Find My Way Home.”
“Unlike so many artists from back in the daze, I’ve never lost touch with Chuck. We’ve hung at NAMM shows, M3 music festivals, or simply exchanged messages to see how each other is doing as we navigate time and life. Chuck is one of the good guys. He cares about the music and is still energized by giving the faithful fans an old-school, bang-your-head good time.”
Wright was born in San Diego and raised in Hollywood. At age 5 attended a military school for 8 years in Woodland Hills. That stint informed his organizational skills and led him to discover guitar. After taking some lessons, Wright switched to bass, owing to the influence of Jack Bruce of Cream. “I loved Bruce’s Gibson EB-3 bass guitar,” emphasized Wright in a July 2026 interview with me.
“My first gig was at a UCLA fraternity party. The girls thought I was cute. I drank beer and made $75.00. After that, any plans for the Air Force Academy were over, and I joined my first band, Satry. We were the first band to play the Country Club venue in Reseda. We were a big draw in Los Angeles. We had a laser show with projected images on the background behind us. Our sound was very influenced by Led Zeppelin, Queen, Genesis, and Yes. I saw Yes at the Whisky debut in 1972, and it blew my mind,” he readily confessed.
“I do the Ultimate Jam Night for the music community. There’s enough coming in to cover the house band, background singers, and two techs that are super pros. The Whisky club gets the bar. We’ve also done charity shows. People line up before the doors open.
“I initially brought the idea to management at the Whisky, and Michael Maglieri was receptive to this kind of residency booking. We had a Spinal Tap evening with 27 bass players for ‘Big Bottom.’ We pulled off a Rocky Horror Picture Show night
Past Ultimate Jam Night guests have included: ROBIN ZANDER (Cheap Trick), ROBBY KRIEGER (The Doors), DEE SNIDER (Twisted Sister), SEBASTIAN BACH (Skid Row), MIKKEY DEE (Motorhead/ Scorpions), PHIL CAMPBELL (Motorhead), BILL WARD (Black Sabbath), ROBERT TRUJILLO (Metallica), STEVE VAI, BRUCE KULICK (Kiss/ Grand Funk Railroad), SCOTT IAN (Anthrax), STEVE LUKATHER (Toto), COLIN HAY (Men At Work), BERNARD FOWLER (The Rolling Stones), WAYNE KRAMER (MC 5), CLEM BURKE (Blondie), MICHAEL DES BARRES (Power Station/ Silver Head), ORIANTHI, CARMINE APPICE (Vanilla Fudge/ Rod Stewart), GEORGE LYNCH (Lynch Mob/ Dokken), STEPHEN ADLER (Guns-N-Roses), TOM MORELLO (Rage Against The Machine), STEVE FERRONE (Tom Petty), KENNY ARONOFF (Smashing Pumpkins, John Cougar), L7, GREGG BISSONETTE (Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band), GILBY CLARKE (Guns-N-Roses), JACK RUSSEL’S GREAT WHITE, LEIF GARRETT, ROBERTA FREEMAN (Pink Floyd/ Guns-N-Roses), WILLIE CHAMBERS (Chambers Brothers), DENNY SEIWELL (Paul McCartney & Wings), PAT VASQUEZ (Redbone).
“I met Chuck Wright two decades ago while a partner at Sound Image Studios in Van Nuys, California,” recalled David Chatfield of Harmony Records.
“Over the years, I became a fan of his famous jams when Chuck invited me to see his new band UnZepped debut at the Universal Cafe. I went with a violinist from Columbia whom I invited when I heard that Chuck's new rock band had a violinist. But after the first two verses and a chorus, none of that mattered.
“It was what the new single from UnZepped, ‘Going to California’, was about...the feeling of longing, escaping to new beginnings, and finding something pure when the weight of world events makes life virtually unbearable.
“There was no question, Chuck had consciously or unconsciously created music that is so mesmerizing that no one in the room was released from the almost meditative state that this new, reimagined, acoustic and classical version of familiar melodies emanating from Led Zeppelin. With no intent to form a tribute band, Chuck has assembled a group of highly skilled and progressive musicians, led by acclaimed lead vocalist Adi Argelazi - who sang as Janis Joplin in the musical 27 - with that raw, emotive power that few singers authentically project, progressively singing each song in a new and different way every time.
“I immediately knew that, even if you were not a Led Zeppelin fan, you would like their songs reimagined by UnZepped. By the end of the first song, I had committed to signing the band to Harmony Records. Their first two singles charted in more than 10 countries, most notably reaching the #2 spot on the Spotify Local Pulse Chart in Los Angeles for 28 days, with similar success in the UK, France, Germany, Canada, and other cities across the US documented by Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Music. I was right, after only the first two singles, more than a million people have become UnZepped listeners. Look for ‘Going to California’ in August.”
“It’s been great working with David Chatfield at Harmony Records,” underlined Wright. “He saw us play and really understood what we were collectively doing. Initially, he was able to get us huge amounts of streams on Spotify and put us out there. ‘Going to California’ has been released. He was very active in remixing the recording. I will ask David a question, and he will have answers you just can’t find on the internet. He provides ideas about approach and production. Really helpful for me and this specific band and me. We’ve been at music business mixers at his house and played at his parties.”
UnZepped delivers lively up-tempo renditions using violin, mandolin, acoustic Guitars, Fretless bass, exotic percussion, and drums accompanied by soaring, powerful vocals. The band's unique fusion of moods always leaves an enduring impact.
“Why UnZepped happened,” explained Chuck, “is that I like playing acoustically, and my ears need a rest. I decided to try this idea. It’s a format where I can use a Fretless bass and do backup vocals. It does have an Unplugged aspect and is the antithesis of a tribute band. It’s a reinterpretation of the best music in the world of that band. It was inspired by what Robert Plant does with his Band of Joy.”
Chuck Wright’s website provided me with information and the very impressive credits on the rest of the UnZepped band members.
ADI ARGELAZI-Lead Vocals/ Flute. Currently, touring with acclaimed Rush tribute, YYNOT. She also recently toured the world with the band Abbarama as Agnieta, and was a cast member in the Las Vegas musical 27. Hailing from Israel and relocated to the United States in 2015. She graduated from music school at the top of her class in Jazz and Opera in 2008 and served in the Israeli army as a singer for the Intelligence unit band from 2009 to 2011. She was a featured singer on Israeli Idol in 2012 and has collaborated with Alex Lifeson from Rush, Marco Minnemann of the Aristocats, and many other notables.
JAKE FAUN -Guitar/ Backing Vocals: Los Angeles-based guitarist, Jake Faun’s touring and/or recording credits include David Lee Roth, Selena Gomez, Winger, DNCE, and Bryce Vine. Comfortable within country, pop, and rock alike, Faun also has experience as a music director for live performances. The Brighton, England native has also found success online as a teacher and YouTuber, and his excellent YouTube channel includes a mix of improvisation-oriented performances and gear-related product reviews.
MATT HEVESH Violin/Guitar/Mandolin. Matt is a multi-instrumentalist originally from New Hampshire. He began his musical journey at the age of eight with the violin, and later on he went on to learn piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, and a variety of stringed instruments. After attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, he moved to Sacramento and began pursuing a professional career in music. Matt has performed and toured all over the West Coast with a variety of different groups ranging from funk, jazz, blues, rock, and country/ Americana, and has been actively teaching for over a decade, helping students of all ages achieve their musical goals
SCOTT BREADMAN – Percussion. As an in-demand percussionist, he has done his part to inject percussion into Rock, Latin, and Pop music. Scott has performed live or recorded with such notables as Lindsey Buckingham, Jose Feliciano, The Rippingtons, Macy Gray, Keiko Matsui, Paul Simon, Moby, and many others. His work in film includes Austin Powers, Mortal Kombat, The Astronaut's Wife, Santa Clause, Ronin, Wild Things, and many others. His work in television includes The Simpsons, The Tracy Ullman Show, In Living Color, Penn & Teller specials, Quincy Jones; The First Fifty Years ABC, The Rat Pack, Secret Life of a Teenager, The Red Shoe Diaries, and many others.
JOE TRAVERS - Supporter. Drums. Joe Travers has been playing drums in the Los Angeles area for twenty years. A Berklee College of Music graduate, Joe moved to LA in 1992, and by March 1993 he had landed a gig with Dweezil & Ahmet Zappa's group "Z" and had gone on to play for the last 7 years with Zappa Plays Zappa, Dweezil's group devoted to the music of Frank Zappa. Other musical experiences over the years include Duran Duran, Lisa Loeb, Billy Idol, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), and The Keith Emerson band.
In 2022, Wright released his debut solo album Sheltering Sky on Cleopatra Records, which earned awards for “Best Instrumental” and “Best Video” at the Rock Music Alliance Awards. The album features guest appearances by several of Wright’s musical peers including keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater/Billy Idol), guitarist Lanny Cordola (House of Lords), vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen), Troy Luccketta (Tesla) and the late Mr. Big drummer, Pat Torpey.
The album’s 11 tracks also illustrate Wright’s impressive songwriting ability as he either wrote or co-wrote all nine original songs on the album. Also included is an edgy, intense version of Bjork’s “Army of Me” along with a soulful, Celtic rock take on The Youngbloods’ classic, “Darkness, Darkness.” Chuck also produced and engineered most of the album.
(Harvey Kubernik is the author of 21 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon, 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972, 2015's Every Body Knows: Leonard Cohen, 2016's Heart of Gold Neil Young and 2017's 1967: A Complete Rock Music History of the Summer of Love.
Sterling/Barnes and Noble in 2018 published Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To The Last Waltz. In 2021, they wrote Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child for Sterling/Barnes and Noble.
Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That Matters. His Screen Gems: (Pop Music Documentaries and Rock ‘n’ Roll TV Scenes) was published in February, 2026 by BearManor Media. Kubernik is currently working as Creative Director on a book on the Beatles for a UK publisher scheduled for a 2027 publication date.
Harvey spoke at the special hearings in 2006 initiated by the Library of Congress held in Hollywood, California, discussing archiving practices and audiotape preservation.
In 2017, he appeared at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in its heralded Distinguished Speakers Series, and as a panelist, where he discussed the forty-fifth anniversary of The Last Waltz at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles in 2023.)
