Bessie Regina Norris (December 21, 1953 – May 10, 2020),[1][2] better known by her stage name Betty Wright,[3] was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist.

Beginning her professional career in the late 1960s as a teenager, Wright rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight Is the Night".

Wright began her professional career at the age of two when her siblings formed the Echoes of Joy, a gospel group.

[5] Following the group's break-up, Wright, who was already using the name Betty Wright, decided to switch musical styles from gospel to rhythm and blues, singing in local talent shows until she was spotted by a Miami record label owner, who signed her to her first label (Deep City Records) in 1966, when she was 12.

[7] About a year later, Wright released her signature song "Clean Up Woman", written by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke and recorded when she was 17.

[1][2] It eventually sold over 1 million copies and was certified gold on December 30, 1971,[1][2] nine days after the singer turned 18.

(co-written by Wright, with producers Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch, from KC & The Sunshine Band).

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.

In 1978, she performed a duet with shock rocker Alice Cooper on the song "No Tricks", and a year later, opened for Bob Marley on the reggae star's Survival Tour.

[22] Continuing to release solo material into the 1990s, her 1994 album B-Attitudes featured a remixed duet of Marvin Gaye's "Distant Lover".

[4] In 2006, Wright appeared on the TV show Making the Band, appointed by Sean Combs as a vocal coach for new female group Danity Kane.

She mentored several young singers and did vocal production for such artists as Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez and Joss Stone.

[26] Wright, Greenberg and Mangini also produced two tracks on Tom Jones's 2008 album 24 Hours: a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "The Hitter" and "More Than Memories", written by Stax legend Carla Thomas.

[27] Betty Wright: The Movie also included collaborations with Joss Stone, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne and Lenny Williams.

alongside "In the Middle of the Game (Don't Change the Play)" from Betty Wright: The Movie.

[38] Just two days earlier, fellow singer Chaka Khan had made a plea on Twitter saying "Calling all my #PrayWarriors.