“Betty Wright” rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as “Clean Up Woman” and “Tonight is the Night,” and later on telling women “Don’t blame Mr. Charlie, Mr. Charlie is just a man doing the best he can….
In 1965, following the group’s break-up, the 11-year-old singer, who had already began using the name “Betty Wright,” decided to switch musical styles from gospel to rhythm and blues, singing in local talent shows until being spotted by a local Miami record label owner, who signed her to her first label (Deep City Records) in 1966 at age 12.
Wright struggled with a successful follow-up until 1972 when the single “Baby Sitter” (one of Wright’s first compositions) reached the top 50 of the Hot 100 and peaked at number six on the R&B charts.
The remodeled version, which included a now-famous monologue and portions of Wright’s 1970 hit, “Pure Love,” peaked at number 11 on the R&B chart in 1978.
Wright’s first hit, “Girls Can’t Do What Guys Do,” was sampled for Beyoncé’s “Upgrade U.” In 1992, Wright sued the producers behind Color Me Badd’s breakthrough hit, “I Wanna Sex You Up”, after claiming they used the sample of her live version without clearance and without permission, and sued for royalties.
