After Little Richard, the music world is once again losing one of its talented artists. Betty Wright, whose real name is Bessie Regina Norris, died on May 10 of cancer at the age of 66.
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The American singer had made herself famous when she was 14 years old with the song Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do, which would eventually rank in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. It was the beginning of a long soul career of 46 years, marked above all by the 1970s.
With her title Clean Up Woman in 1971 and her funk allures, Betty Wright anticipates the birth of a full-fledged musical genre, disco. With this hit more than a million copies sold, it reached second place in the rhythm'n blues hit parade in 1971 and sixth place in the Hot 100 the following year.
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The artist's peak then came in 1975 when his tubes were linked with Tonight Is the Night or Shoorah! Shoorah! But is that his Grammy Award for Where Is the Love? which marks the year but also the soul of its imprint.
Follows the creation of his own music label in 1985, Ms B Records, to escape the male dominance in the profession. She then became in 1987, with the release of her album Mother Wit and the hit No Pain No Gain , the first African-American artist to have obtained a gold record on her own label.
Throughout her career, Betty Wright has multiplied experiences with great artists such as with her first part of the Bob Marley Survival Tour or her place as chorister behind Stevie Wonder and David Byrne. Her song and her so-called “whistle voice” technique have inspired many contemporary artists such as Mariah Carey or Ariana Grande. The author and producer accompanies and advises artists like Jennifer Lopez for several years before returning to the forefront in 2011. In collaboration with The Roots, she records her album Betty Wright: The Movie with distinguished guests such as Snoop Dogg. Her latest album, Living ... Love ... Lies in 2014, saw her accompanied by rappers Rick Ross and DJ Khaled.
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The soul singer has become from the start a free figure of music and a model for an entire generation. Ledisi, American R&B and jazz artist, paid tribute to him on Twitter: “ Thank you for being an exceptional teacher, a friend and one of the greatest soul singers in our industry. You were much more than your music. We were lucky to be surrounded by royalty. I thank you. I'll never forget. "
Bob Marley's grandson, Skip Marley, saw Betty Wright as her “ beloved aunt, mentor and vocal coach, she supported me every step of the way. She has taught us a lot . ” A feeling shared by star John Legend on Twitter: “ I loved being around Ms. Betty Wright. She has always been so loving and generous to young artists. Always committed, always relevant ”.
The public was already bereaved by the disappearance of a good number of artists who marked the music like Little Richards or Bill Withers. Which makes 2020 one of the saddest years for music.