Betty Wright was a part of the sound of my youth. She was a
singer, songwriter, vocal coach, legend, and icon. She passed away from cancer
on May 10, 2020 at the age of 66.
Betty was born in Miami, FL, and as did many great artists, she
got her start in the church. She sang with her siblings from the age of two as
part of the gospel group The Echoes of Joy.
By the age of 14, Betty was so entrenched in the music business
that she was discovering other artists and releasing her own music. In 1971,
she released her first big hit “Clean Up Woman” at the age of 17.
In 1974, Ms. Wright co-wrote “Where is the Love” with producers
Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC & The Sunshine Band). This won
Betty her first Grammy. In 1974, Ms. Wright also released “Tonight is the
Night.”
Ms. Wright was the first black female artist to achieve a gold
album on her own label in 1988.
Through the 2000s, Ms. Wright sang duets with and did backup
work for other famous artists, and her work was sampled by the likes of Afrika
Bambaataa, SWV, Mary J. Blige, Willie Dee, and Chance the Rapper.
Bessie Regina Norris Wright
(December 21, 1953 – May 10, 2020)© 05/10/2020
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