Syreeta Wright
| Syreeta Wright | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Rita Wright |
| Born |
August 3, 1946 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | July 6, 2004 (aged 57) Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Detroit soul, R&B, smooth soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1967–2004 |
| Labels | Motown |
| Associated acts | Stevie Wonder, Billy Preston, G.C. Cameron, Jermaine Jackson |
Syreeta Wright (August 3, 1946 – July 6, 2004), who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with her ex-husband Stevie Wonder and musical artist Billy Preston.
Wright was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1946, and started singing at age four. Her father served in the Korean War and Wright and her two sisters, Yvonne and Kim, were raised by their mother Essie and their grandmother. The Wrights moved back and forth from Detroit to South Carolina before finally settling in Detroit just as Wright entered high school. Money problems kept Wright from pursuing a career in ballet so she focused her attention on a music career joining several singing groups before landing a job as a receptionist for Motown in 1965. Within a year, she became a secretary for Mickey Stevenson, just as Martha Reeves had done before her.
A year later, Edward Holland of the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team noticed Wright's singing and decided to try her out for demos of Supremes songs. Motown CEO Berry Gordy shortened her birth name to "Rita," and Wright released her first solo single, "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You", in January 1968. The song was initially written for the Supremes (by then billed as "Diana Ross & the Supremes"). They later recorded the song in 1968 and Diana Ross re-recorded the song for her solo album, Surrender.
Wright also performed demo vocals for the Supremes hit "Love Child" and Ross's "Something's On My Mind", which Ross later recorded for her self-titled debut album. When Diana Ross left the Supremes in early 1970, Motown boss Berry Gordy considered replacing her with Wright, but offered the place in the group to Jean Terrell. According to several sources, Gordy then changed his mind and tried to replace Terrell with Wright, but this was vetoed by Supreme Mary Wilson.
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