Celebrated in pop genres for her remarkable vocal prowess, soul, funk and R&B singer Betty Wright passed away at the age of 66.
The cause of death was not immediately known, but Wright’s niece confirmed the news and wrote on Twitter: ‘Sleep well Aunt Betty Wright. Fly high angel. ‘
Wright was best known for the song Clean Up Woman, a candid story of a woman “cleaning up” with men who neglected other women, recorded when she was 17. It reached number 6 on the US charts in 1971 and has had funk guitar licks sampled regularly, including by Mary J Blige and Chance the Rapper.
Other Wright tracks have been sampled by Beyoncé, for her hit single Upgrade U, rappers 2Pac, YG and Slim Thug and more.
Wright had two UK Top 40 hits, with the up-tempo songs Shoorah Shoorah and Where is the Love, both in 1975. The latter song won her only Grammy award of six nominations, for the best R&B song.
Betty Wright in 1973. Photo: Gilles Petard / Redferns
Wright had another US Top 10 hit with Dance With Me in 1978, with vocals alongside lead artist Peter Brown. She has also provided backing vocals or vocal production for such artists as Jennifer Lopez, Joss Stone, Gloria Estefan, Lil Wayne and David Byrne.
She has worked twice with the Marley family, on an album by posthumous Bob Marley reworked in 1999 – after supporting him in 1979 – and with Damian Marley and rapper Nas on their 2010 album Distant Relatives.
Hits like Clean Up Woman were written for Wright, but she also wrote her own songs, including Tonight is the Night, about losing her virginity, which became a favorite for R&B fans. Sexuality has been featured in other early hits like Let Me Be Your Lovermaker and Baby Sitter, where, like Clean Up Woman, she is followed by a love rival, who “knows a truckload of what / and everything is in place” .
Born in Miami in 1953, Wright started singing gospel at the age of two, with her siblings in the group Echoes of Joy. When they broke up, Wright was only eleven. After switching to R&B, she was signed at the age of twelve. Her first hit was Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do – the song that was later sampled by Beyoncé – which reached No33 in the US in 1968.
Wright was celebrated not only for her signature songs, but also for her voice, which could achieve the kind of penetrating, ultra-high register Mariah Carey would later adopt.
All her life, Wright released solo music and worked with the hip hop stars she influenced. Her 2011 album Betty Wright: the Movie was made with hip-hop group The Roots, while her most recent album, Living … Love … Lies … from 2014, included rapper Rick Ross and rap producer DJ Khaled. She appeared alongside rappers Kendrick Lamar and Big Sean on a 2016 DJ Khaled track, Holy Key.
DJ Khaled was one of those who paid tribute on Sunday and wrote on Instagram, ‘You’re one of my real friends! You are like a mother to me! You had my back from the beginning! … Betty Wright is legendary! ”
Lil Wayne said, “You showed me how to believe in myself when others are in doubt. How I can be myself even though it may not be the me they want. ‘
Beyoncé’s Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland said, “Rest in peace with the woman who gave us the ultimate soul and meant every word when she sang.”
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2020-05-10 22:48:44Z
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