Hollywood Spotlight: The legendary Betty Wright

Betty Wright was one of the most accomplished women in music, yet one of the most underrated. While history will show that Betty Wright may no longer be a household name, she is and will always be a certified legend.

While there are plenty of world-famous stars hailing from South Florida and Miami In particular, only a few at the very top of the game can compare to the great Betty Wright.

In the '70s, the R&B charts belonged to Miami talent. with several record labels hitting the big time, Betty Wright was at the top of her game, hitting on all cylinders. It was a powerful branding opportunity for Miami area artists that began to feel the momentum of the moment and joined in on all the fun. She was also one of the first pop vocalists to sing in the stratospheric “whistle register,” a rare technique also used by Minnie Riperton, Mariah Carey, and Ariana Grande. Yes indeed, Wright was a pioneer that created a lane for future Miami artists for decades to come. That lineage continues today with notable stars like Pit Bull, Flo Rida, Rick Ross, and DJ Khalid.

The Bottom line is this legend - Betty Wright is Miami's own Grammy winner. Wright was a soul singer to the core a homegirl who went big-time like global. She rose the fame in the 1970s with "Clean up Woman" (1972) and "Tonight is the Night" (1974). A sample of that song was the centerpiece of the smash hit "I want to sex you up" by Color Me Bad (at right) in 1991. One could argue that Wright is one of the most underrated R&B artists of all time simply because she achieved so much over such a long period of time including a Grammy in 1976 not as a singer but as a songwriter for where is the love.

That song continues to stand the test of time. But Wright also received seven Grammy nominations beyond that. We're proud to have a young lady rise from a local songbird to becoming a global star and Grammy winner.