Miami’s R&B singer Betty Wright gets a superstar-worthy three-hour funeral

“We adored and cherished our mother; we realized early that she was a blessing to all,” Betty Wright’s daughter, Asher Williams-Timmons, said in an obituary written by the family.

For Betty Wright, who died May 10 at her Miami home at 66 after a private battle with cancer, “early” proved an operative word.

The R&B singer from Miami was all of 17 when she had her international hit, “Clean Up Woman,” a catchy and funky 1971 tune that was written and recorded in a Miami studio for the homegrown TK Records company.

Wright’s three-hours-plus funeral allowed groups of family and friends inside Bethel Apostolic Church on Northwest 119th Street for a rousing service of songs and sermons and recollections that began at noon Saturday.

The service was live streamed in partnership with WPLG-Local 10 and Florida Memorial University due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to family members that included her sister, Jeanette Wright, her children, grandchildren and godchildren, celebrities from as close locally as Miami’s Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell to British R&B singer Joss Stone paid tribute.

Guests also included her close friend of 54 years, Lovette McGill, and Joyce Moore, wife of R&B/soul star Sam Moore, who had mentored a young Wright on the streets of Miami.

Members of the TK Records family of musicians and songwriters Steve Alaimo and Harry Wayne Casey also attended, as did bassist and Wright’s musical director, Angelo Morris.

Stone, 33, sang “Amazing Grace.”

“She was so giving, I always wondered, if someone gives that much can they run out?” Stone said in tribute to her friend.

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Earlier in the service, 2 Live Crew rapper and Miami New Times columnist Luther Campbell offered a heartfelt, emotional eulogy.

“If it wasn’t for her, there would be no me,” Campbell said as he recounted the days of growing up in Liberty City and on 10th Street in Miami.

Wright developed Miami stars’ talents

Wright was already a bit of a veteran when “Clean Up Woman” first became a national hit nearly 50 years ago. She was 14 when she put out her first album, tellingly titled “My First Time Around,” in 1968. The album contained her first hit single, “Girls Can’t Do What Guys Do,” a song mentioned during the service.

Decades after its release Beyoncé sampled the tune.

In 1991, Wright arranged the vocals for Gloria Estefan’s “Coming Out of the Dark,” a pivotal song in the careers of Miami’s Estefan family. The song heralded Gloria’s return to performing after a near fatal tour bus accident in 1990.

The Estefans were out of town and couldn’t attend the service but spoke to the Miami Herald Friday to share memories of their friend and collaborator.

“Betty Wright was a force to be reckoned with. She wielded her soulful power in her own music but was incredibly generous when it came to coaxing the best performances out of every one of her students and the artists she worked with, one of which, was me,” Gloria Estefan said.

“There is no way that ‘Coming Out of the Dark’ would have had its gospel infused force without Betty’s input,” Estefan said. “She drew every note out of my soul so that it could touch the hearts of so many people that helped me overcome one of the darkest moments of my life. I will be forever thankful for her incredible talent, her musical wisdom and the fact that I was touched by her light.”

Wright’s siste said “Doing what came naturally” was what Betty was all about. “Singing the song ‘Summertime’ aloud in a record shop landed Betty her first deal,” her sister said in the family obit.

While still in high school and soon after Wright helped discover Miami talents and bring them into the Miami-based TK Records stable — like George and Gwen McRae, whose hits, “Rock Your Baby” and “Rockin’ Chair,” respectively, were staples of mid-1970s pop and R&B radio. She also spotted Peter Brown in Miami and sang with him on his breakthrough disco/pop hits, “Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me” and “Dance With Me,” in 1978.

And Wright was a mentor to a young Casey, namesake of KC & the Sunshine Band, the Hialeah act responsible for five No. 1 hits on Henry Stone’s TK label from 1974 to 1980. Casey and Richard Finch composed McRae’s “Rock Your Baby,” one of disco music’s first hits.

“In the beginning of my career Betty would let me do a couple of songs before she came on,” Casey told the Miami Herald for her obituary. “Eventually, I would end up handling her travel and bookings. Co-writing songs with Clarence Reid and Willie Clarke, doing backgrounds and playing some keyboards here and there. Then I wrote ‘Where Is the Love’ for her, which earned a Grammy Award for best R&B song of 1975. I had a lot of wonderful moments with Betty. We were like family.”

Live at the church service

A young Tyler Watts sang the Commodores’ 1980 song, “Jesus is Love,” in tribute to Wright, along with a choir.

“Someone should tell Lionel Richie and the Commodores the next generation is coming,” the pastor said after Tyler sang — perhaps a nod to Wright’s broad reach.

McGill, Wright’s friend, read proclamations from Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson who honored the “remarkable Betty Wright for her commitment and dedication and service to our community.”

Clovette Danzy paid tribute to her godmother.

“I met Betty at age 12, and she became my godmother at the time. She was singing ‘People Get Ready,’ and I studied her and I watched her and she taught me everything I know about singing,” Danzy said before singing the rousing gospel number, “He Done Enough.”

“Betty was a talented woman, an innovator, an originator, a collaborator,” she said. “She was an extraordinary woman, a gift from God to bless all mankind all over the world. She ministered in song. She was a blessing to me and my family and children.”

The song Danzy sang was the last one Wright directed for her, she said.

Yusef Williams, son of the late Jamaican reggae artist and Wright’s stepson, sang a tender rendition of Leon Russell’s 1970’s standard, “A Song for You.” Wright’s daughter Asher Makeba sang exuberant gospel in tribute to her mom during the service.

Uncle Luke shares his last conversation with Wright

But Campbell, in tears, clutching a light blue face mask, hit an early emotional high point in tribute to his beloved friend and mentor.

“I remember the days on 10th Avenue,” Uncle Luke said. “We would sit in the living room and she would cook the fish and she would say you need to make sure your catechisms are right and you need to read that book because if you are trying to be in this business you have to have an understanding of this business. ... We were friends to the end.”

Campbell said they spoke nearly every day.

“There was not a day I didn’t have a conversation with her leading up the day this strong, black woman called me up to say ‘I’m going home to be with the Lord,” Campbell said as he broke into tears at the lectern. “I never had a call like that. ‘I’m going to be with the Lord, Luke.’ And we talked about Jazz in the Gardens and we talked about people she loved. We talked about, you name it.

“Betty was the only person that could put me in check,” Campbell continued. “She was the only one that could call me and say, ‘Be easy on certain people’ because I am rough sometimes. I come from that house on 10th Avenue. If you’ve ever been to that house you got the best of both worlds.”

Campbell told the guests at the service to follow Wright’s example.

“She said, ‘It’s in my heart. I have a relationship with God. That’s my duty.’ And if you take something from this woman, take her strong conviction with the Lord,” Campbell said, noting that as a Grammy-winning star Wright could have moved anywhere but chose to remain with her community in Miami.

Just before Wright died on May 10, the pair had their last conversation.

“I am OK, you should be OK,” Campbell said. “She’s gone to the Lord and she was OK with that. We had that conversation and there were no tears. She wasn’t crying. She was OK with the fact she was going home to be with her best friend, Jesus.”

At the end, Wright was taken to the cemetery by horse-drawn carriage.