Miami queen of soul Betty Wright served her apprenticeship in the church with family gospel group The Echoes of Joy.
By the time she was 13 she had recorded her debut single and was soon helping sculpt what became the Miami Soul Sound – a sassy coming-together of soul, calypso, and reggae.
The feisty Clean Up Woman was her biggest hit, taking her into the Top 10 in 1971 while she was still a high school student.
It appeared on her second album, I Love The Way You Love (1972) – an LP crammed to the brim with emotion sappers, from the proto-disco elation of I’ll Love You Forever Heart and Soul to the hurting Don’t Let It End This Way.
Related Posts
Pop Group, The Mark, Bruce and Gareth (band members were invariably referred to by their Christian names alone) formed The Pop Group in…
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Southside Johnny Lyons (the moniker derives from the South Side of Chicago, from whence cometh lots of blues, Johnny's inspiration…
Amazing Rhythm Aces, The The Amazing Rhythm Aces came together in Tennessee in 1972, with a sound mixing pop, country and blue-eyed soul. Their…
John St Peeters Italian-born John St Peeters began his professional performing career during his early teens as Johnny Lo Piccolo, playing the piano…
Candi Staton The songs that Alabama's Candi Staton sang rang true because, sadly, she lived them. A gospel prodigy, she ran off…
Staple Singers, The The Staple Singers were truly a family. Originally composed of Roebuck 'Pops' Staples – "our name is Staples but we…
Barry White Barry White was born in Galveston, Texas, in 1944. He joined a group called The Up fronts in 1961- the…
Bobby Womack Bobby Womack first began singing in the 1950s along with his brothers in a gospel group and later in an…
