Acclaimed country music star Chely Wright will bring her heartfelt lyrics and soulful melodies to U.S. troops stationed in Germany and The Netherlands, July 24-28. Wright is best known for hits such as “Single White Female” and “Shut Up and Drive,” but is also a top-notch songwriter in her own right.

Wright wrote eight of the 12 songs on her new CD, her sixth album, The Metropolitan Hotel, including the emotionally moving single, “The Bumper of My S.U.V.” The song spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard magazine Country Singles Sales chart and touched the hearts of deployed military and their families around the world. Wright wrote and recorded her hit "Bumper of My SUV," about the need for Americans to continue supporting the men and women fighting the war on terror.

Wright's military connections run deep. Her grandfather, who was in the Army during World War II and landed on the beaches of Normandy, was haunted by memories. “He was a very quiet man -- very charismatic. When he talked, we would listen," Wright said.

When she was nine years old, Wright's grandfather pulled off the Grand Ole Opry cap covering his bald head one day and said, "So, I hear you said you're going to be a country music star? Tell you what, you get your keyboard and go play for the patients at the VA hospital over in Kansas City." So, Wright began performing at the nearby VA hospital on a regular basis, an experience that sparked a lifelong interest in performing for military audiences.

Wright burst onto the national stage in 1995, when she was named Best New Female Artist by the Academy of Country Music. Since then, she has received numerous awards from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. In 2001, Wright was featured as one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People."

" We are very pleased to have the opportunity to bring a music celebrity like Chely Wright to Germany and The Netherlands to entertain our servicemen and women stationed there," said Capt. Aubrey Semrau with the Air Force, who is circuit manager for the European region for Armed Forces Entertainment. “She will put on concerts for our troops and their families that they will remember for years to come.”

###

Armed Forces Entertainment is the lead Department of Defense agency for providing entertainment to U.S. military personnel serving overseas, with priority given to those in contingency operations and at remote and isolated locations. The Department of the Air Force is the executive agent of Armed Forces Entertainment.

Founded in 1951, Armed Forces Entertainment brings a touch of home to more than 500,000 troops annually, embracing the best of Americana that stretches across all genres of entertainment. Visit www.armedforcesentertainment.com for more information.