Remembering Betty Wright: Performing On ‘Soul Train’ In 1972

Trailblazing R&B artist Betty Wright sadly died on this date in 2020. Born on December 21, 1953, Wright was 66 years old when she succumbed to cancer. Amazingly, Betty had been a recording artist for 64 years when she passed, singing on the first record by her family gospel group Echoes Of Joy in 1956 when she was just two years old .

Wright would go on to reach additional musical milestones that take most musicians decades. The Miami native signed with local label Deep City Records as a solo artist when she was 12 and also helped to discover new talent. Betty released her debut album, ​​My First Time Around, and had her first hit single, “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do,” when she was 14.

When she was 17, Wright recorded one of her biggest hits, “Clean Up Woman,” written by Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke. The song was certified gold at the end of 1971 just days after Betty’s 18th birthday. She followed with “Baby Sitter” in 1972, which was one of her own and earliest compositions. 1972 also saw Wright appearing on the legendary variety show Soul Train, hosted by Don Cornelius.

For her first musical appearance on the program — which aired as part of the second season of Soul Train on December 9, 1972, just days before Betty’s 19th birthday — Wright played “Clean Up Woman.” After the performance, Cornelius interviewed Betty. When asked how “such a young lady knows all about clean up women and babysitters,” the 18-year-old veteran performer replied, “it isn’t age that really matters; it’s experience.” Wright went on to deliver “Baby Sitter” for the Soul Train audience.

To remember Betty Wright, watch her 1972 Soul Train appearance below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nK6YJH1kmk