Betty Wright

Betty Wright, born Bessie Regina Norris in Miami, Florida, was a soul and R&B singer-songwriter who became one of the defining voices of the city's funk and soul scene in the 1970s. She began performing as a child in a family gospel group and signed her first record deal as a teenager, quickly establishing herself as a powerful, emotionally raw vocalist rooted in Southern soul and church music traditions.

Her signature hits, «Clean Up Woman» and «Tonight Is the Night», released in the early 1970s, became genre-defining records for the Miami soul sound, blending funk grooves with frank, socially observant lyrics about relationships and infidelity. Wright's voice, capable of both gritty belting and delicate control, influenced generations of R&B and soul singers, and her records became some of the most sampled in hip-hop history.

Beyond her own recording career, Wright was an important mentor and vocal coach, working behind the scenes with younger artists and helping shape the sound of Miami's music industry for decades. She continued performing and recording into the 2010s, remaining a respected elder stateswoman of soul music until her death in 2020.