Singer, songwriter and producer Betty Wright, known for incorporating vibrant storytelling and love lessons into her music, passed away after a battle with cancer on Sunday, May 10. She was 66.
Fellow soul legend Chaka Khan first alerted the world that all was not well with Wright via Instagram last week, though she wasn’t specific.
“Calling all my #PrayWarriors,” Khan captioned below a slide show of images of Wright over the years. “My beloved sister, Betty Wright is now in need of all your prayers.”
Wright died six days after Khan’s post.
Her classic contributions to the canon of soul music include cautionary tales, advice for couples and intimate personal experiences.
The Women’s Liberation Movement was still fresh when she famously sang about her first sexual experience in her 1975 release “Tonight Is The Night.” In a live version that was released as an extended single three years later, Wright talked about playing the song for her religiously devout mother ahead of the song’s original release.
“I like the beat…and the music is nice,” Wright said, imitating her mother in a soft and pleasant tone. “But I know you not gonna sing that,” Wright continued – changing the tone from even-tempered to blistering rage.
Wright grew up – and became acclimated to music – in the church.
She was born Bessie Regina Norris on December 21, 1953 in Miami, Florida. Wright was the youngest of seven children of Rosa Akins Braddy-Wright and her second husband, McArthur Norris. She began her professional career at the age of two as a member of a gospel group comprised of herself and her siblings. When Echoes of Joy released their debut album in 1956, Wright was not yet three years old.
By the time Bessie Norris 12, she had crossed over to secular music as Betty Wright and landed a major record deal. Thanks to the singles “Thank You Baby” and “Paralyzed”, Wright became a music star in her hometown of Miami.
At 17, Wright was on her third album and hit it big with 1971’s “The Clean Up Woman,” which sold more than one million copies and introduced fans to the “grown woman” music that became her signature over the years. Wright managed to score hits in every decade from the 1970s on into the new millennium.
She won a Grammy Award for her 1978 hit “Where Is The Love” and was nominated for six Grammy Awards – most recently in 2011 for “Best Traditional R&B Performance” for “Surrender” from “Betty Wright: The Movie” a collaborative album with The Roots. Wright’s recordings have been sampled by some of the biggest names in music, including Beyonce, Chance The Rapper, Mary J. Blige, Afrika Bambaata and SWV.
Wright was a mother to five children: Chaka Azuri, Asha Wright, Patrice Parker, Patrick Parker and Aisha McCray.
Wright’s son Patrick Parker and her husband Noel George Williams – a Jamaican musician and record producer known professionally as King Sporty – preceded her in death.
