Grammy-winning R&B singer Bessie Regina Norris aka Betty Wright has passed away at age 66. She died from cancer at her home in Miami on Sunday(10th May). She would be remembered for classics such as “Tonight Is the Night,” “No Pain, (No Gain)” and “Clean Up Woman,”.
Born in 1953, Betty Wright began her music career singing with Echoes of Joy, her family’s gospel group in Miami. In 1968, at age 15, she released her debut album- My First Time Around, which gave her a top 40 song on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do.”
She earned a top 10 single in 1972 with “Clean Up Woman,” which clinched the number 6 on the Hot 100, This would be likely sampled by Mary J. Blige, Afrika Bambaataa and Sublime. In the mid-’70s, Wright released hit songs “Tonight Is the Night” and “Where Is the Love,” that earned her a Grammy for for best R&B song in 1975.
Betty Wright had a flourishing career as a songwriter, arranger and producer. She worked with, among others, Stevie Wonder, Stephen Stills, David Byrne, Alice Cooper, Jennifer Lopez, Erykah Badu, Bob Marley, Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, Keyshia Cole, P. Diddy, Kelly Clarkson and Nas.
In a tweet, Wright’s niece confirmed her death:
“My auntie was a legend…. she helped me get my first paychecks singing background….. and I didn’t make it to see you this past week and that’s going to haunt me …. R.I.P. Betty Wright”