Memory of former England captain and Wolves legend to be honoured at special event
The life and stories of a Wolves legend will be told again by one of the people who knew him best.
Vicky Wright, daughter of former Wolves and England captain Billy Wright, is set to relaunch a popular stage show that brings the stories of her father to life, and give those in attendance a taste of what the man, once described as too small to make it as a professional, was really like.
In The Billy Wright story, she will relate anecdotes about the great man, from being rejected by Wolves initially to then winning every trophy with the club and racking up 105 caps for England, as well as being described as a 1950s equivalent of David Beckham for his marriage to Joy from the Beverley Sisters.
Ms Wright first performed The Billy Wright Story in September 2019 at Sir Jack’s Restaurant in Molineux, with former Wolves players such as John Richards, Kenny Hibbitt and Steve Bull in attendance.
She said plans to tour the show had fallen through due to the Covid-19 pandemic but, after restrictions had lifted, she decided to set a date for the show to return on October 20 at the Prince of Wales Centre in Cannock.
She said: “I’ve been a singer all my life with my sister and cousin, following in the footsteps of the Beverley Sisters, but I’d never done anything like this before.
“I remember being more nervous than I had ever been.
“However, once I started, I got into it andThere was so much love in the room as people loved my dad and wanted to celebrate him, and it was just so wonderful. I got to the end of the show and everyone stood up to applaud, which really took my breath away.
“And I remember feeling so proud, not just for myself, but for dad, who the stand was named after and who there is a statue to outside.”
She said it was an opportunity to let people know what a good person her father was as well as remind them about his talent as a footballer with Wolves and England.
She said: “He was an incredible example of everything good about being a human being.
“I know he’s my dad, but you can ask anyone about him and you’ll never get a bad word said about him.
“He had time for everyone and taught me the values of loyalty and unconditional love and not to be jealous of anyone or let your ego be bigger than others, so I’ve tried to live with those values.”
Ms Wright also said it was a chance for her to tell her daughter Kelly about her grandfather, who died in 1994 aged 70.
She said the event would be a celebration for everyone in attendance, which may include several Wolves legends such as Steve Bull and Conor Coady.
She said: “It is a chance to celebrate Wolverhampton’s favourite son and remember all he did.
“I do go to matches at Molineux regularly to watch Wolves and see kids running up to the statue and touching his boots. That just gives me goosebumps as he died nearly 30 years ago, yet there are still fans today who take time to pay him that tribute.”
For more details, go to the billy wrightstory.com
