Betty Wright - Songs

ABOUT

Betty Wright (December 21, 1953 - May 10, 2020) was a highly acclaimed and veteran R&B/soul singer, songwriter, and background vocalist with powerful vocals and a great deal of crossover appeal who became famous during the early 1970s. She is best known for the spunky and worldly-wise "Clean Up Woman" (1971), recorded when she was only 17.

Born Bessie Regina Norris in Miami, Florida, she began at age two as a member of her family's gospel group, The Echoes Of Joy. After they disbanded in 1965, she launched her solo career as Betty Wright and landed her first contract the following year (with Deep City Records). She recorded a number of singles that brought her fame in the Miami area and in 1968, while still in her early teens, released her debut album, "My First Time Around." Beginning in the early 1970s, Wright also worked as a background vocalist throughout most of her career and can be heard on numerous recordings by such artists as Gloria Estefan, Latimore, Jennifer Lopez, Bob Marley, Stephen Stills, and Stevie Wonder.

Betty Wright debuted in 1968 with "Girls Can't Do What The Guys Do," a Top 20 R&B hit which also made the Pop/Rock Top 40. After several minor hits, her fame took off in late 1971 with "Clean Up Woman," which reached #2 on the R&B charts, made the Pop/Rock Top 10, and soon after went gold. Her long string of hits, which continued on both charts through the early 1990s, also include "Baby Sitter" (1972), "It's Hard To Stop (Doing Something When It's Good To You)" (1973), "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker" (1973), "Secretary" (1974), "Where Is The Love" (1975, not to be confused with the same-named 1972 smash by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway), "Dance With Me" (1978), "Tonight Is The Night" (1978), "Pain" (1986), "No Pain, No Gain" (1988), "After The Pain" (1988), "From Pain To Joy" (1989), and "How 'Bout Us" (1990, with Grayson Hugh), the latter from the soundtrack to "True Love" starring Annabella Sciorra and Ron Eldard.

During the mid 1980s, Betty Wright formed her own recording label, Miss B Records, while continuing to perform and record actively through the 2010s as well as produce for other artists. She won a Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1976 for co-writing "Where Is The Love."

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SONGS

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Betty Wright

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