Fondly remembered this month…

ROB HUGHES

BETTY WRIGHT

Miami soul powerhouse (1953-2020)

Betty Wright was born a star. She was recording with her family gospel group Echoes Of Joy at the age of three, signed a solo deal at 12 and scored her first significant hit, 1968’s “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do”, two years later. The success of the single, later sampled by Beyoncé on “Upgrade U”, led to an invitation from TV’s American Bandstand, only for Wright to be denied permission to take the day of school. Blessed with a powerful soul voice and octave-leaping range, by 1972, she’d established herself as one of America’s foremost R&B figures after the single “Clean Up Woman”, written by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke, shifed over a million copies. She was still only 18.

Wright’s ability to reach whistle notes, the highest on the vocal register, was another facet of her work during the early ’70s, particularly on “The Babysitter” and “Let Me Be Your Lovemaker”. Her success in the UK, meanwhile, coincided with the advent of disco, when “Shoorah! Shoorah!” and “Where Is The Love” breached the Top 30 in 1975. The latter, co-written with members of KC & The Sunshine Band, earned Wright a Grammy. Other hits followed - “Tonight Is The Night”, “Slip And Do It”, “If I Ever Do Wrong” included - before Wright founded Miss B Records in 1985. She became the first black female artist to release a gold album on her own label with the ensuing Mother Wit.

Wright emerged as a mentor to others in subsequent years, arranging harmonies for Gloria Estefan and co-producing Joss Stone’s 2003 debut, The Soul Sessions. Aside from Beyoncé, her back catalogue was liberally sampled by the likes of Mary J Blige, Chance The Rapper, Afrika Bambaataa and Willie D, while 2011 album Betty Wright: The Movie was a collaboration with The Roots that featured Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and Joss Stone.