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"Clean Up Woman" dropped during the period of testimonial soul marked by 1970& #39;s "Want Ads" (Honey Cone), 1971& #39;s "Mr. Big Stuff", 1971& #39;s "Smiling Faces" (Undisputed Truth), 1971& #39;s "Respect Yourself" (Staples Singers)- & to a lesser extent 1972& #39;s "Backstabbers" (O& #39;Jays).
The subgenre was in part defined by tune such as Betty Wright& #39;s, which described either an archetype, or warned of a shady individual. The Soul Children& #39;s "Hearsay" exemplified testimonial/cautionary soul. Wright carved out a special niche in that space
The elements which positioned a performer to do well in testimonial soul, included Betty Wright& #39;s demonstrative tone. A "listen girls" timbre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPVk-m1Pr4s">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
The acts of & #39;70-& #39;71 didn& #39;t invent testimonial soul. Joe Tex had trafficked in it for years. But something special kicked off in 1970-71 which made producers & label more receptive to the material, & audiences expectant of it
On Betty Wright& #39;s heels, we got Millie Jackson, Shirley Brown & Margie Joseph. They were the stylistic forerunners of 1990& #39;s cautionary R & B
Betty Wright also possessed a golden ear, which she used to develop fellow South Florida acts George McRae & Gwen McRae, who became charting disco performers before that genre had a name. When she found both, she was in junior high school
When "Clean Up Woman" dropped, despite the lyrics which imply sage- Wright was 17. By the time she turned 18, it crossed over to # 6 pop- exceptionally high f/ the sub-genre. She was only 20 when she released this gem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53QVhqxI8mE">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Thus, though Betty Wright had a top 10 single on both the soul & the pop charts 49 years ago- she was only 66 when she died today. Betty Wright discovered Peter Brown of "Do You Want To Get Funky With Me", & "Dance With Me" fame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwz7cerVuKE">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Peter Brown, discovered by Betty Wright (who sings backing vocals on Brown& #39;s hits). Wright was only 25 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjDRY8nr3Sk">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
These beats, though classified as late disco, helped influence hip hop
