[6] After a few years as a female impersonator, Billy focused more on singing,[7] performing at Atlanta's 81 Theater.

The saxophonist Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams saw Wright's performance when the two shared a bill with Charles Brown and Wynonie Harris.

[2] He was a key figure in Atlanta blues after World War II and had a major influence on the rock-and-roll pioneer Little Richard, whom he helped get his first recording contract in 1951.

[10] In the early 1950s, the openly gay Wright also helped in establishing Richard's look, advising him to use pancake makeup on his face and wear his hair in a long-haired pompadour style similar to his.

[10] In 1954, Wright signed a contract with Peacock Records, owned by Don Robey, in Houston, Texas.