Betty Wright
Betty Wright (born December 21, 1953 in Miami , Florida as Bessie Regina Norris ; † May 10, 2020 there ) was an American soul singer . She was also active as a songwriter and producer .
biography
Wright began her singing career in the family gospel group "The Echoes of Joy". At the age of 13 she had her first assignments as a background singer . Her first Billboard Top 40 hit was Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do in 1968 . That year the first solo album My First Time Around was released . In 1972 the song followed, with which she is most strongly identified by fans: Clean Up Woman (No. 2 in the R&B charts, No. 6 in the US pop charts). In 1976 she received a Grammy for the song Where Is the Love . Between 1972 and 1979 a total of seven albums were released by Henry Stone on Alston. In 1988 she had the hit No Pain, (No Gain) . Later recordings remained without major commercial success (last US single placement from 1989, last album Fit for a King from 2001). Wright tried herself as a TV talk show host and continued to work as a background singer. In 2003 she produced most of the acclaimed debut of Joss Stone .
She died in 2020 at the age of 66 years to cancer .
Discography
Albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | US | R&B | |||
1972 | I Love the Way You Love Alston 388 |
- |
US123 (6 weeks) US |
R&B32 (5 weeks) R&B |
First published: February 1972
Producers: Clarence Reid , Willie Clarke |
1973 | Hard to Stop Alston 7026 |
- | - |
R&B54 (3 weeks) R&B |
First published: July 1973
Producers: Clarence Reid, Steve Alaimo , Willie Clarke |
1978 | Betty Wright Live Alston 4408 |
- |
US26 (36 weeks) US |
R&B6 (40 weeks) R&B |
First published: June 1978
Producers: Howard Albert, Ron Albert |
1979 | Betty Travelin 'in the Wright Circle Alston 4410 |
- |
US138 (6 weeks) US |
R&B48 (17 weeks) R&B |
First published: May 1979
Producer: Betty Wright |
1981 | Betty Wright Epic 36879 |
- | - |
R&B54 (5 weeks) R&B |
First published: July 1981
Producers: André Fischer, Stevie Wonder |
1983 | Wright Back at You Epic 38558 |
- | - |
R&B41 (8 weeks) R&B |
|
1988 | Mother Wit Ms. B 3301 |
- |
US127 (13 weeks) US |
R&B28 (30 weeks) R&B |
First published: April 1988
Producers: Betty Wright, Noel Williams |
1989 | 4U2NJOY Ms. B3308 |
- | - |
R&B51 (10 weeks) R&B |
First published: March 1989
Producers: Angela Morris, Betty Wright |
2011 | Betty Wright: The Movie S-Curve / Ms. B0731519012 |
- |
US197 (1 week) US |
R&B27 (4 weeks) R&B |
More albums
- 1968: My First Time Around (Atco)
- 1975: Danger High Voltage (Alston)
- 1976: Explosion (Alston)
- 1977: This Time It's Real (Alston)
- 1987: Sevens (Fantasy)
- 1990: Passion & ComPassion (Vision)
- 1992: All the Way Live (Permanent)
- 1993: B-Attitudes (Solar)
- 1995: Distant Lover (Ms. B)
- 1995: Hard Times Dance (Black Tiger)
- 2001: Fit for a King (Vision)
Compilations
- 1992: The Best of Betty Wright
- 1993: Greatest Hits
- 1994: The Best of Betty Wright: The TK Years
- 1999: Clean Up Woman and Other Hits
- 2000: The Very Best of Betty Wright
- 2002: The Essentials
- 2004: It's Hard to Stop
- 2007: The Platinum Collection
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | US | R&B | Dance | |||
1968 | Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do My First Time Around |
- |
US33 (8 weeks) US |
R&B15 (15 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: July 1968
Authors: Clarence Reid , Willie Clarke |
1970 | Pure Love I Love the Way You Love |
- | - |
R&B40 (5 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: July 1970
Authors: Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke |
1971 | I Love the Way You Love I Love the Way You Love |
- | - |
R&B44 (6 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: May 1971
Author: Willie Hale |
Clean Up Woman I Love the Way You Love |
- |
US6th
gold
(14 weeks)US |
R&B2 (16 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: October 1971
Authors: Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke |
|
1972 | I'm Gettin 'Tired Baby I Love the Way You Love |
- | - |
R&B42 (3 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: March 1972
B-side of If You Love Me Like You Say You Love Me Authors: Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke |
If You Love Me Like You Say You Love Me I Love the Way You Love |
- | - |
R&B21 (5 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: March 1972
Authors: Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke |
|
Is It You Girl |
- | - |
R&B18 (8 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: May 1972
Authors: Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke |
|
Baby sitter hard to stop |
- |
US46 (10 weeks) US |
R&B6 (15 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: August 1972
Authors: Betty Wright, Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke |
|
1973 | It's Hard to Stop (Doing Something When It's Good to You) Hard to Stop |
- |
US72 (6 weeks) US |
R&B11 (9 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: March 1973
Author: Betty Wright |
Let Me Be Your Lovemaker |
- |
US55 (6 weeks) US |
R&B10 (16 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: August 1973
Authors: Betty Wright, Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke |
|
1974 | It's Bad for Me to See You |
- | - |
R&B66 (6 weeks) R&B |
- | |
Secretary |
- |
US62 (8 weeks) US |
R&B12 (16 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: May 1974
Authors: Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke |
|
Shoorah! Shoorah! / Tonight Is the Night Danger High Voltage |
UK27 (7 weeks) UK |
- |
R&B28 (28 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: October 1974
Authors: Allen Toussaint / Betty Wright, Willie Clarke Original (A-side): Frankie Miller , 1974 |
|
1975 | Where is the love? Danger high voltage |
UK25 (7 weeks) UK |
US96 (1 week) US |
R&B15 (12 weeks) R&B |
Dance2 (22 weeks) Dance |
First published: January 1975
Grammy (Best R&B Song) Authors: Betty Wright, Willie Clarke, Harry Wayne Casey, Richard Finch |
Ooola La La |
- | - |
R&B28 (11 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: July 1975
Authors: Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke |
|
Slip and Do It |
- | - |
R&B21 (12 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: November 1975
Authors: Eugene Dixon, James Thompson |
|
1976 | If I Ever Do Wrong Explosion |
- | - |
R&B23 (13 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: July 1976
Authors: Betty Wright, Willie Clarke |
Life explosion |
- | - |
R&B64 (8 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: December 1976
Author: Milton Wright |
|
1977 | You Can't See for Lookin ' This Time It's Real |
- | - |
R&B73 (5 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: July 1977
Author: Willie Clarke |
1978 | Dance with Me A Fantasy Love Affair |
UK57 (5 weeks) UK |
US8 (28 weeks) US |
R&B5 (22 weeks) R&B |
Dance4 (23 weeks) Dance |
First publication: December 1977
Peter Brown feat. Betty Wright |
You Should Do It A Fantasy Love Affair |
- |
US54 (8 weeks) US |
R&B25 (15 weeks) R&B |
- |
First publication: August 1978
Peter Brown feat. Betty Wright Authors: Peter Brown, Robert Rans |
|
Tonight Is the Night (Parts 1 & 2, live) Betty Wright Live |
- | - |
R&B11 (15 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: August 1978
|
|
1979 | Lovin 'Is Really My Game Betty Wright Live |
- | - |
R&B68 (3 weeks) R&B |
- | |
My Love Is Betty Travelin 'in the Wright Circle |
- | - |
R&B48 (10 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: July 1979
Authors: Betty Wright, Jerome McCray |
|
1981 | What Are You Going to Do with It Betty Wright |
- | - |
R&B42 (10 weeks) R&B |
Dance61 (8 weeks) Dance |
First published: March 1981
Authors: Betty Wright, Stevie Wonder |
Goodbye You Hello Him |
- | - |
R&B65 (7 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: September 1981
Author: Richard "Dimples" Fields |
|
1983 | She's Older Now Wright Back at You |
- | - |
R&B22 (16 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: January 1983
Authors: Warren Mendes, Betty Wright |
1984 | One step up, two steps back |
- | - |
R&B75 (4 weeks) R&B |
Dance35 (9 weeks) Dance |
First published: June 1984
Authors: Betty Wright, H. Harris, D. Johnson, Amir Bayyan |
1986 | Pain Sevens |
UK42 (6 weeks) UK |
- |
R&B44 (16 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: December 1985
Author: Betty Wright |
The Sun Don't Shine Sevens |
- | - |
R&B82 (8 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: June 1986
Author: Betty Wright |
|
1988 | No Pain, No Gain Mother Wit |
- | - |
R&B82 (8 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: March 1988
Author: Betty Wright |
After the pain mother wit |
- | - |
R&B57 (11 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: August 1988
Author: Betty Wright |
|
1989 | From Pain to Joy 4U2NJOY |
- | - |
R&B39 (10 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: January 1989
Author: Betty Wright |
Quiet Storm 4U2NJOY |
- | - |
R&B88 (5 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: May 1989
Author: Betty Wright |
|
Keep Love New 4U2NJOY |
UK71 (4 weeks) UK |
- | - | - |
First published: August 1989
Author: Betty Wright |
|
1990 | How 'Bout Us Blind to Reason |
- | - |
R&B30 (12 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: March 1990
with Grayson Hugh from the soundtrack of the film True Love Writer: Dana Walden Original: Champaign , 1981 |
1994 | For Love Alone B-Attitudes |
- | - |
R&B98 (2 weeks) R&B |
- |
First published: January 1994
Authors: Angelo Morris, Betty Wright |
2007 | Baby The Art of Love & War |
- | - |
R&B22 (27 weeks) R&B |
Dance3 (16 weeks) Dance |
First release: July 2007
Angie Stone feat. Betty Wright Authors: Angie Stone, Charles Tatum, Curtis Mayfield , K. Norton |
2016 | Holy Key Major Key |
- | - |
R&B29 (3 weeks) R&B |
- |
gray hatching : no chart data available for this year
More singles
- 1967: Good Lovin '
- 1967: Mr. Lucky
- 1968: He's Bad Bad Bad (release: October)
- 1968: The Best Girls Don't Always Win (release: December)
- 1969: After the Smoke Is Gone (with Steve Alaimo ; release: March)
- 1969: The Joy of Becoming a Woman (release: July)
- 1969: Soldier Boy (released December)
- 1970: I Found That Guy (released November)
- 1976: Everybody Was Rockin ' (release: February)
- 1977: Man of Mine
- 1978: No Tricks ( Alice Cooper feat.Betty Wright; release: October)
- 1979: Thank You for the Many Things You've Done
- 1988: A Christmas to Remember
- 1989: We Down
- 1990: Help Is on the Way
- 1992: It's Crucial
- 1994: Distant Lover
- 1997: Every Breath You Take
- 2013: In the Middle of the Game (Don't Change the Play)
- 2014: Clean Up Woman (Jim Sharp Edit) (release: September 14th)
swell
-
↑ Soul & R&B Icon Betty Wright Dies at 66. In: heavy.com. May 10, 2020, accessed on May 10, 2020 . Soul and R&B Singer Betty Wright Has Passed Away At The Age Of 66. In: balleralert.com. May 10, 2020, accessed on May 10, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c d "Clean Up Woman" Singer Betty Wright Has Died , essence.com, May 10, 2020
- ↑ Betty Wright , grammy.com, accessed May 10, 2020
- ^ Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions. Retrieved May 13, 2020 .
- ↑ Betty Wright, Iconic Soul and R&B Singer, Dies at 66 May 10, 2020, accessed on May 11, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Chart sources: UK US
- ↑ a b gold / platinum database US
Web links
- Betty Wright at Allmusic (English)
- Betty Wright at Discogs (English)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Wright, Betty |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American soul singer |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 21, 1953 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Miami |
DATE OF DEATH | May 10, 2020 |
Place of death | Miami |