Betty Wright
Encyclopedia
Bessie Regina Norris, better known by her stage name, Betty Wright (born December 21, 1953), is a Grammy
winning Miami-based soul
and R&B
singer-songwriter
, who won fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman
" and "Tonight Is the Night". A pioneering singer-songwriter and entrepreneur, she remains one of the few black
female musicians to have a gold record on her own vanity label. She possesses a four-octave vocal range
and is adept at using the whistle register
.
In 1965, following the group's break-up, 11-year-old Wright, who was already using the name Betty Wright, decided to switch musical styles from gospel to rhythm and blues
, singing in local talent shows until being spotted by a local Miami record label owner, who signed her to her first label in 1966 at twelve. She released the singles, "Thank You Baby" and "Paralyzed", which found Wright local fame in Miami.
In 1967, the teen was responsible for discovering other local talents such as George
and Gwen McCrae
, helping them sign with Alston record label, part of Henry Stone
's TK recording and distribution company. A year later, Wright released her debut album, My First Time Around
, when she was still 14 and scored her first hit single with Judy White's "Girls Can't Do What Guys Do". While still in high school in 1970, Wright released the sensual "Pure Love" at the age of sixteen.
, "Clean Up Woman
", written by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke when she was 17. The record reached number two on the R&B charts, where it stayed for eight weeks. It crossed over to the pop charts, peaking at number six and staying on the Billboard Hot 100
for 14 weeks. It eventually sold over a million copies and was certified gold
on December 30, 1971, nine days after the singer turned 18. Wright struggled with a successful follow-up until 1972 when the single "Baby Sitter" (one of Wright's first compositions) reached the top 50 of the Hot 100 and peaked at number six on the R&B charts. Another hit that emerged during this early period was 1973's "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker", which peaked at number 55 on the Hot 100 and number 10 on the R&B chart, it was also the first instance (after "Baby Sitter") where Wright showed off her powerful whistle register
vocals. Another successful composition was the proto-disco
number, "Where Is the Love" (co-written by Wright, with producers, Harry Wayne Casey
and Richard Finch
), from KC & The Sunshine Band. This peaked at number 15 on the R&B chart, number-two on the dance charts and crossed over to the UK, peaking at #25, leading Wright to perform overseas. Wright later won the Best R&B Song Grammy Award
for composing "Where Is the Love".
A second prominent overseas hit was another proto-disco number, "Shoorah! Shoorah!" Both songs appeared on one of Wright's most popular albums, Danger! High Voltage!, released in late 1974. It would be on this album that Wright would have her most successful composition, with the smooth soul ballad, "Tonight Is the Night", which Wright attributed to her first sexual experiences. The original version peaked at number 28 on the R&B chart. Four years later, Wright released a "live" version of the song. The remodeled version, which included a now-famous monologue and portions of Wright's 1970 hit, "Pure Love", peaked at number 11 on the R&B chart in 1978.
That same year, Wright also discovered the talents of musician Peter Brown
and sang background on Brown's hits, "You Should Do It" and "Dance With Me" (where her vocals were prominently featured alongside Brown's). In 1978, she performed a duet with shock rock
er Alice Cooper
on the song "No Tricks" and a year later, opened for Bob Marley
on the reggae star's Survival Tour
. Wright's other albums at the end of the 1970s were less successful and by 1981, as TK began to struggle, she moved on to a bigger label, signing with Epic
where her self-titled album was released.
The album was notable for the minor Stevie Wonder
-composed hit, "What Are You Gonna Do With It". That same year, she contributed vocals on Richard "Dimples" Fields' Dimples album, especially on the hit, "She's Got Papers on Me", where she catches Fields singing out about another woman, verbally attacking him in the ending monologue. In 1983, the album, Wright Back at You, featured compositions by Marlon Jackson
, of the Jackson Five. Four years later, Wright issued the album, Sevens.
In 1985, Wright formed her own label, Miss B Records. In 1988, Wright made history as the first black female artist to score a gold album on her label when the album, Mother Wit, was released. The album was notable for the hits, "No Pain, No Gain" and "After the Pain". Her 1989 follow-up, 4u2njoy, featured a remixed duet of Marvin Gaye
's "Distant Lover
". Since then she has self-released several more recordings while still performing successfully as a live act. She had a hit duet with Grayson Hugh
on the remake of Champaign
's 1981 hit, "How 'Bout Us
", and later arranged the harmonies for Gloria Estefan
's "Coming Out of the Dark
", which hit number-one in 1991. Wright took a break from recording following the releases of 1990's Passion & Compassion and 1994's B-Attitudes. In 2001, a compilation album
, The Very Best of Betty Wright, was released, along with her first studio album for several years, Fit for a King. In 2008, Wright was featured on a Lil Wayne
track titled "Playing With Fire" however, due to a lawsuit the song was removed from the album online.
In 2006, Wright appeared on the TV
show Making the Band
as a vocal coach, appointed by Sean Combs
, for new female group Danity Kane
. She now mentors several young singers and has done vocal production
for such artists as Gloria Estefan
, Jennifer Lopez
and Joss Stone
. Along with co-producers Steve Greenberg
and Michael Mangini, Wright was nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award
in the "Best Pop Album" category for producing Joss Stone's Mind, Body & Soul
LP.
Wright, Greenberg and Mangini also produced two tracks on Tom Jones
's 2008 album "24 Hours": A cover of Bruce Springsteen
's "The Hitter" and "More Than Memories," written by Stax legend Carla Thomas
. In December 2010, Wright was given another Grammy Award nomination for the song, "Go", on the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. In January 2011, it was announced that Wright would release her first album in ten years. The album Betty Wright: The Movie, was released November 15, 2011.The album featured The Roots
, who co-produced the record along with Wright. Betty Wright: The Movie also included collaborations with Joss Stone
, Snoop Dogg
and Lil' Wayne.
and R&B musicians. The riff from "Clean Up Woman" has been sampled
constantly by acts such as Afrika Bambaattaa, SWV
, Mary J. Blige
and Sublime
. Wright's first hit, "Girls Can't Do What Guys Do", was sampled for Beyoncé
's "Upgrade U
". Another hugely sampled song has been "Tonight Is the Night". The song was first sampled (in both the original studio and live versions) in 1990 by rapper Candyman
, on his one-hit wonder
, "Knockin' Boots
". In 1992, Wright sued the producers behind Color Me Badd
's breakthrough hit, "I Wanna Sex You Up
", after claiming they used the sample of her live version without clearance and without permission, and sued for royalties. Wright won her case, winning 35 percent of royalties for writing the song. Other artists who sampled "Tonight is the Night" include DJ Quik
, who sampled the song on his first released single, "Tonite". Her cover
of the song, "Shoorah! Shoorah!", which she recorded in 1974, was used in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
movie
. The song, which was written by Allen Toussaint
and first recorded by Frankie Miller
, also appears on the soundtrack
to the second series of the UK Channel 4
comedy drama, No Angels
. In 2002, the underground Hip-Hop artist RJD2
used a sample from Wright's 1974 hit "Secretary" in his most commercially successful track, "Ghostwriter". "Ghostwriter" has since gone on to be used in multiple advertisements and commercials.
Patrick Parker was shot and killed after a dispute at a Christmas party in Opa-locka
, a Miami suburb. Wright's mother Rosa passed away in September 2010 at the age of 85.
Wright currently resides in her hometown of Miami.
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning Miami-based soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, who won fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman
Clean Up Woman
"Clean Up Woman" is a song by Betty Wright from her second studio album, I Love the Way You Love . Written and produced by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke, it was released in 1971 as a 7" single with "I'll Love You Forever" on the B-side, reaching number six on the U.S. Pop Singles chart—where it...
" and "Tonight Is the Night". A pioneering singer-songwriter and entrepreneur, she remains one of the few black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
female musicians to have a gold record on her own vanity label. She possesses a four-octave vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
and is adept at using the whistle register
Whistle register
The whistle register is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register...
.
Early life and career
Born Bessie Regina Norris on December 21, 1953, Wright was the youngest of seven children to Rosa Akins Braddy-Wright and her second husband, McArthur Norris. Wright began her professional career at the age of two when her siblings formed the gospel group, the Echoes of Joy. Wright contributed to vocals on the group's first album, released in 1956. Wright and her siblings performed together until the mid-1960s.In 1965, following the group's break-up, 11-year-old Wright, who was already using the name Betty Wright, decided to switch musical styles from gospel to rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, singing in local talent shows until being spotted by a local Miami record label owner, who signed her to her first label in 1966 at twelve. She released the singles, "Thank You Baby" and "Paralyzed", which found Wright local fame in Miami.
In 1967, the teen was responsible for discovering other local talents such as George
George McCrae
George McCrae is an American soul and disco singer, most famous for his 1974 hit "Rock Your Baby".-Early life and career:...
and Gwen McCrae
Gwen McCrae
Gwen McCrae is an American R&B singer, best known for her March, 1975 hit "Rockin' Chair".-Career:...
, helping them sign with Alston record label, part of Henry Stone
Henry Stone
Henry Stone is an American record company executive and producer whose career spans the era from R&B in the early 1950s through the disco boom of the 1970s to the present day. He is best known as co-owner and president of TK Records....
's TK recording and distribution company. A year later, Wright released her debut album, My First Time Around
My First Time Around
My First Time Around is the 1968 debut LP by Betty Wright. The album was recorded when Wright was 14 years old. It includes the Top 40 hit single "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do".-Track listing:-Personnel:* Joey Murcia – guitar...
, when she was still 14 and scored her first hit single with Judy White's "Girls Can't Do What Guys Do". While still in high school in 1970, Wright released the sensual "Pure Love" at the age of sixteen.
Stardom
About a year later, Wright released her signature songSignature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
, "Clean Up Woman
Clean Up Woman
"Clean Up Woman" is a song by Betty Wright from her second studio album, I Love the Way You Love . Written and produced by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke, it was released in 1971 as a 7" single with "I'll Love You Forever" on the B-side, reaching number six on the U.S. Pop Singles chart—where it...
", written by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke when she was 17. The record reached number two on the R&B charts, where it stayed for eight weeks. It crossed over to the pop charts, peaking at number six and staying on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for 14 weeks. It eventually sold over a million copies and was certified gold
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on December 30, 1971, nine days after the singer turned 18. Wright struggled with a successful follow-up until 1972 when the single "Baby Sitter" (one of Wright's first compositions) reached the top 50 of the Hot 100 and peaked at number six on the R&B charts. Another hit that emerged during this early period was 1973's "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker", which peaked at number 55 on the Hot 100 and number 10 on the R&B chart, it was also the first instance (after "Baby Sitter") where Wright showed off her powerful whistle register
Whistle register
The whistle register is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register...
vocals. Another successful composition was the proto-disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
number, "Where Is the Love" (co-written by Wright, with producers, Harry Wayne Casey
Harry Wayne Casey
Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is most famous for his group, KC and the Sunshine Band, and as a producer of several hits for other artists.-Early years:...
and Richard Finch
Richard Finch (musician)
Richard Finch , is an American composer, producer, engineer, and song arranger. He is best known as the co-founder, producer and former bass player of KC and the Sunshine Band...
), from KC & The Sunshine Band. This peaked at number 15 on the R&B chart, number-two on the dance charts and crossed over to the UK, peaking at #25, leading Wright to perform overseas. Wright later won the Best R&B Song Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for composing "Where Is the Love".
A second prominent overseas hit was another proto-disco number, "Shoorah! Shoorah!" Both songs appeared on one of Wright's most popular albums, Danger! High Voltage!, released in late 1974. It would be on this album that Wright would have her most successful composition, with the smooth soul ballad, "Tonight Is the Night", which Wright attributed to her first sexual experiences. The original version peaked at number 28 on the R&B chart. Four years later, Wright released a "live" version of the song. The remodeled version, which included a now-famous monologue and portions of Wright's 1970 hit, "Pure Love", peaked at number 11 on the R&B chart in 1978.
That same year, Wright also discovered the talents of musician Peter Brown
Peter Brown (singer)
Peter Brown is an artist, songwriter and record producer. He grew up in Palos Heights, another Chicago suburb. His mother, Virginia, was artistic and musically talented and gave Peter music lessons at a very young age. Peter’s father, Maurice, was an electronic engineer and unwittingly helped him...
and sang background on Brown's hits, "You Should Do It" and "Dance With Me" (where her vocals were prominently featured alongside Brown's). In 1978, she performed a duet with shock rock
Shock rock
Shock rock is an umbrella term for artists who combine rock music with elements of theatrical shock value in live performances.-History:Screamin' Jay Hawkins was arguably the first shock rocker...
er Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
on the song "No Tricks" and a year later, opened for Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
on the reggae star's Survival Tour
Survival Tour
The Survival Tour was a concert tour organised to support the album Survival by Bob Marley & The Wailers. It was Marley's second-last tour.The tour started in Boston in late October 1979, and ended in Libreville, Gabon, on January 6, 1980...
. Wright's other albums at the end of the 1970s were less successful and by 1981, as TK began to struggle, she moved on to a bigger label, signing with Epic
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
where her self-titled album was released.
The album was notable for the minor Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
-composed hit, "What Are You Gonna Do With It". That same year, she contributed vocals on Richard "Dimples" Fields' Dimples album, especially on the hit, "She's Got Papers on Me", where she catches Fields singing out about another woman, verbally attacking him in the ending monologue. In 1983, the album, Wright Back at You, featured compositions by Marlon Jackson
Marlon Jackson
Marlon David Jackson is an American entertainer singer, dancer, former member of The Jackson 5, and elder brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.-Personal life:...
, of the Jackson Five. Four years later, Wright issued the album, Sevens.
In 1985, Wright formed her own label, Miss B Records. In 1988, Wright made history as the first black female artist to score a gold album on her label when the album, Mother Wit, was released. The album was notable for the hits, "No Pain, No Gain" and "After the Pain". Her 1989 follow-up, 4u2njoy, featured a remixed duet of Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's "Distant Lover
Distant Lover
"Distant Lover" is the sixth song issued on singer Marvin Gaye's 1973 album, Let's Get It On and was later issued as a live recording in 1974. The live version of the song was Gaye's most successful single during the three-year gap between Let's Get It On and his following 1976 album, I Want...
". Since then she has self-released several more recordings while still performing successfully as a live act. She had a hit duet with Grayson Hugh
Grayson Hugh
Grayson Hugh is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, Hammond B3 organ player and composer born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was the first generation of his family to be born in the United States. Hugh grew up surrounded by classical music, his father being the classical music radio host Ivor...
on the remake of Champaign
Champaign (band)
Champaign was a 1980s United States R&B band with adult contemporary leanings, best known for their 1981 hit, "How 'Bout Us."-Career:The mixed-race septet, who named themselves after their hometown of Champaign, Illinois, included Pauli Carman and Rena Jones on vocals; Michael Day and Dana Walden...
's 1981 hit, "How 'Bout Us
How 'Bout Us
"How 'Bout Us" is a 1981 hit single recorded by R&B music group Champaign and composed by band keyboardist Dana Walden. Originally released on the band's debut album of the same name, the title track peaked at #12 on the Hot 100...
", and later arranged the harmonies for Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
's "Coming Out of the Dark
Coming Out of the Dark
"Coming Out of the Dark" is a single by American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan. It was released in 1991 worldwide as the leading and first single of the album Into the Light, becoming the singer’s third number one in the U.S.-Song history:...
", which hit number-one in 1991. Wright took a break from recording following the releases of 1990's Passion & Compassion and 1994's B-Attitudes. In 2001, a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, The Very Best of Betty Wright, was released, along with her first studio album for several years, Fit for a King. In 2008, Wright was featured on a Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
track titled "Playing With Fire" however, due to a lawsuit the song was removed from the album online.
In 2006, Wright appeared on the TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show Making the Band
Making the Band
Making the Band is an ABC/MTV reality television series that exists in separate iterations, each iteration focusing on a specific music act. It spawned musical acts O-Town, Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang...
as a vocal coach, appointed by Sean Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
, for new female group Danity Kane
Danity Kane
Danity Kane was an American female music group signed to Bad Boy Records, first established in 2005. Formed on the third installment of MTV's Making the Band reality television series, the quintet comprised members Aubrey O'Day, Wanita "D. Woods" Woodgett, Shannon Bex, Dawn Richard, and Aundrea...
. She now mentors several young singers and has done vocal production
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
for such artists as Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
and Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
. Along with co-producers Steve Greenberg
Steve Greenberg (record producer)
Steve Greenberg is a record producer currently heading the S-Curve Records label. He is noted for "discovering" popular musical acts such as Hanson, Baha Men, Jonas Brothers and Joss Stone. He received a 2000 Grammy Award in the "Best Dance Recording" category as a producer of "Who Let the Dogs...
and Michael Mangini, Wright was nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in the "Best Pop Album" category for producing Joss Stone's Mind, Body & Soul
Mind, Body & Soul
Mind Body & Soul is the second studio album by English recording artist Joss Stone. Released in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2004 by Relentless Records, it is Stone's most successful album to date in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one and stayed atop for one week...
LP.
Wright, Greenberg and Mangini also produced two tracks on Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
's 2008 album "24 Hours": A cover of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's "The Hitter" and "More Than Memories," written by Stax legend Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is the daughter of Rufus Thomas.-Childhood:...
. In December 2010, Wright was given another Grammy Award nomination for the song, "Go", on the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. In January 2011, it was announced that Wright would release her first album in ten years. The album Betty Wright: The Movie, was released November 15, 2011.The album featured The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
, who co-produced the record along with Wright. Betty Wright: The Movie also included collaborations with Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
, Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
and Lil' Wayne.
Legacy
Several of Wright's works have been sampled over the years by hip-hop, rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and R&B musicians. The riff from "Clean Up Woman" has been sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
constantly by acts such as Afrika Bambaattaa, SWV
SWV
Sisters with Voices, better known as SWV, is an American female R&B trio from New York. Formed in 1990 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s. They had a series of hits, including "Weak", "Right Here/Human Nature", "I'm So Into You", and "You're the One"....
, Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
and Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
. Wright's first hit, "Girls Can't Do What Guys Do", was sampled for Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
's "Upgrade U
Upgrade U
"Upgrade U" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . The song features additional vocals from Knowles' then-boyfriend and now-husband, hip hop artist Jay-Z. It was composed by Swizz Beatz, Cameron Wallace, Knowles, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett,...
". Another hugely sampled song has been "Tonight Is the Night". The song was first sampled (in both the original studio and live versions) in 1990 by rapper Candyman
Candyman (rapper)
Candell Manson known by his stage name Candyman, is an American rapper and record producer. He is best known for his only hit single, "Knockin' Boots".-Biography:...
, on his one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
, "Knockin' Boots
Knockin' Boots (Candyman song)
"Knockin' Boots" was the lead single from Candyman's debut album Ain't No Shame in My Game.-Background:The song was one of the first songs produced by the late Johnny "J", who used samples of "Ooh Boy" by Rose Royce and "Tonight Is the Night" by Betty Wright...
". In 1992, Wright sued the producers behind Color Me Badd
Color Me Badd
Color Me Badd was an R&B vocal group that was formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. The original members of the group were Bryan Abrams ; Mark Calderon ; Sam Watters and Kevin Thornton...
's breakthrough hit, "I Wanna Sex You Up
I Wanna Sex You Up
"I Wanna Sex You Up" is a hit single for R&B group Color Me Badd in 1991, released as the first single from their debut album C.M.B.. It achieved a huge success in the U.S., UK and New Zealand, where it reached #1 on the charts. It spent four weeks at No...
", after claiming they used the sample of her live version without clearance and without permission, and sued for royalties. Wright won her case, winning 35 percent of royalties for writing the song. Other artists who sampled "Tonight is the Night" include DJ Quik
DJ Quik
David Martin Blake , better known by his stage name DJ Quik, is an MC and record producer. According to Quik himself, his stage name reflects his ability to produce records in short time....
, who sampled the song on his first released single, "Tonite". Her cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the song, "Shoorah! Shoorah!", which she recorded in 1974, was used in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (film)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a 2005 comic science fiction film based on the book of the same name by Douglas Adams. Shooting was completed in August 2004 and the movie was released on April 28, 2005 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and on the following day in Canada and the United...
movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. The song, which was written by Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
and first recorded by Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter, who had his biggest success in the 1970s. Miller was raised at Colvend Street, Glasgow with his parents, Cathy and Frank, and elder sisters Letty and Anne. Miller attended Sacred Heart Primary school. He was an altar boy in Sacred Heart Chapel...
, also appears on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the second series of the UK Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
comedy drama, No Angels
No Angels (TV series)
No Angels is a critically acclaimed British television comedy drama series, produced by the independent production company World Productions for Channel 4, which ran for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. It was devised by Toby Whithouse.-Premise:...
. In 2002, the underground Hip-Hop artist RJD2
RJD2
RJD2 is an American music producer, singer and musician. RJD2 was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was signed to the Definitive Jux label where he released two largely instrumental hip hop albums and has produced tracks...
used a sample from Wright's 1974 hit "Secretary" in his most commercially successful track, "Ghostwriter". "Ghostwriter" has since gone on to be used in multiple advertisements and commercials.
Personal life
On 24 December 2005, her 21-year-old sonSon
A son is a male offspring; a boy or man in relation to his parents. The female analogue is a daughter.-Social issues regarding sons:In pre-industrial societies and some current countries with agriculture-based economies, a higher value was, and still is, assigned to sons rather than daughters,...
Patrick Parker was shot and killed after a dispute at a Christmas party in Opa-locka
Opa-locka, Florida
Opa-locka is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the mid decade census, the population was 15,376 as recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau....
, a Miami suburb. Wright's mother Rosa passed away in September 2010 at the age of 85.
Wright currently resides in her hometown of Miami.
Albums
- My First Time AroundMy First Time AroundMy First Time Around is the 1968 debut LP by Betty Wright. The album was recorded when Wright was 14 years old. It includes the Top 40 hit single "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do".-Track listing:-Personnel:* Joey Murcia – guitar...
(1968) - I Love The Way You Love (1972)
- Hard To Stop (1973)
- Danger High Voltage (1974)
- Explosion! (1976)
- This Time For Real (1977)
- Live (1978)
- Travelin' In The Wright Circle (1979)
- Betty Wright (1981)
- Wright Back At You (1983)
- Sevens (1986)
- Mother Wit (1987)
- 4u2njoy (1989)
- Passion & Compassion (1990)
- B-Attitudes (1994)
- Fit for A King (2001)
- Betty Wright: The Movie - with The Roots (2011)
Singles
- 1966: "Thank You Baby"
- 1966: "Paralyzed"
- 1968: "Girls Can't Do What Guys Do" (#33 U.S.Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, #15 R&BHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
) - 1970: "Pure Love" (#40 R&B)
- 1971: "Clean Up WomanClean Up Woman"Clean Up Woman" is a song by Betty Wright from her second studio album, I Love the Way You Love . Written and produced by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke, it was released in 1971 as a 7" single with "I'll Love You Forever" on the B-side, reaching number six on the U.S. Pop Singles chart—where it...
" (#6 U.S., #2 R&B) - 1972: "Baby Sitter" (#46 U.S., #6 R&B)
- 1972: "Is It You, Girl?" (#18 R&B)
- 1972: "I'm Gettin' Tired Baby" (#42 R&B)
- 1973: "It's Hard to Stop (Doing Something When It's Good to You)" (#72 U.S., #11 R&B)
- 1973: "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker" (#55 U.S., #10 R&B)
- 1973: "It's Bad for Me to See You" (#66 R&B)
- 1974: "Secretary" (#62 U.S., #12 R&B)
- 1975: "Where is the Love?" (#96 U.S., #15 R&B, #2 DiscoHot Dance Club PlayThe Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
, #2 Club PlayHot Dance Club PlayThe Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
, #25 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
) - 1975: "Tonight is the Night" (#28 R&B)
- 1975: "Shoorah! Shoorah!" (#28 R&B, #27 UK)
- 1976: "Slip and Do It" (#21 R&B)
- 1976: "If I Ever Do Wrong" (#23 R&B)
- 1977: "Life" (#64 R&B)
- 1977: "You Can't See for Lookin'" (#73 R&B)
- 1978: "Dance With Me" (with Peter Brown) (#5 R&B, #8 pop)
- 1978: "Tonight is the Night, Pts. 1 & 2 (live)" (#11 R&B)
- 1979: "Lovin' Is Really My Game" (#68 R&B)
- 1979: "My Love Is" (#48 R&B)
- 1981: "What Are You Gonna Do With It?" (#42 R&B, #61 DanceHot Dance Club PlayThe Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
) - 1981: "Goodbye You Hello Him" (#65 R&B)
- 1983: "She's Older Now" (#22 R&B)
- 1986: "Pain" (#42 UK)
- 1988: "No Pain, No Gain" (#14 R&B)
- 1988: "After the Pain" (#57 R&B)
- 1989: "From Pain to Joy" (#39 R&B)
- 1989: "Quiet Storm" (#88 R&B)
- 1989: "Keep Love New" (#71 R&B)
- 1990: "How 'Bout Us" (with Grayson Hugh) (#30 R&B, #67 pop)
- 1994: "For Love Alone" (#98 R&B)
- 2007: "Baby" (with Angie StoneAngie StoneAngie Stone is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She has been nominated for three Grammy Award. She is more successful on the charts R&B charts, with four Top 10 albums, forms including a number one album and 10 singles on the R&B chart,...
) (#22 R&B, #3 Dance) - 2011: "Grapes on the vine(with lil wayne and the roots)
External links
- Soul Patrol page on Betty Wright
- [ Betty Wright biography] at Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
- Wright albums on Alston/Atlantic/TK-Records
- Betty Wright Myspace
- http://www.chancellorofsoul.com/soul_chronicles Story of Betty Wright by The Chancellor of Soul (Mike Boone)