Sept. 30, 2011, 1:37 a.m.
Wish Me Away, directed by Bobbi Birleffi and Beverly Kopf, follows country singer Chely Wright's journey from Nashville music bombshell to gay rights activist. With hit singles like 1997's "Shut Up And Drive" and her number one country smash "Single White Female" in 1999, Wright's meteoric rise to the top of the country music charts combined with her sex-symbol status had garnered adoration from millions of country music fans and respect from the country music industry; however, the painful secret that she had been harbouring for 30 years was about to be revealed in a very big and very public way: a carefully orchestrated release of a revealing album; an autobiography-plus-nationwide book tour; and interviews on syndicated radio shows, major news channels, The Today Show and Oprah. There was no doubt that Chely Wright was taking a big gamble by becoming the first openly gay commercial country music artist in an industry that is known for not openly accepting gays and lesbians.
