PR guru Howard Bragman talks to Greg In Hollywood about country music singer Chely Wright coming out

Chely Wright will appear on The Today Show tomorrow and be featured in this week’s People Magazine telling her story of being closeted lesbian while navigating the world of country music stardom.

Her coming out coincides with the release of her autobiography Like Me: Confessions of a Country Singer and a new album Lifted Off the Ground.

Chely chose to work with veteran Hollywood PR guru Howard Bragman on her big reveal. He’s the same man who also worked with Chaz Bono who last year announced her transition from female to male and with the coming outs of Meredith Baxter, Sheryl Swoops and John Amaechi and also worked with Martina Navratilova, Isaiah Washington, and Paula Abdul, among others.

“I’m proud of Chely,” Bragman told me Tuesday. “She’s a true pioneer and she’s changing the world.”

Country music has never had an openly gay star until Chely who best known for her hits Single White Female and Shut Up and Drive.

Since she is several years removed from her greatest commercial success, Bragman chose a strategy of letting it be known that a famous entertainer would be coming out publicly on May 5. Speculation began immediately with every star who has ever been rumored to be gay being mentioned on blogs and at coffee houses.

Queen Latifah was the name I heard the most now that Ricky Martin and Sean Hayes have come out publicly.

Bragman told me the campaign was handled far differently than that of Meredith Baxter who’s big reveal was on The Today Show.

What was needed in the case of Wright was building a lot of buzz. The fact that Wright’s identity surfaced over the weekend as the celebrity coming out on May 5 has started the publicity blitz a bit early with People and Access Hollywood running interviews with the singer a few days earlier than planned.

Said Bragman: “What a blessing for me to take someone like Chely and to get this kind of buzz for her. My ultimate job is to make my client happy and she is very happy. She’s doing great.”