Rita Wright

(August 3, 1946 – July 6, 2004) Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as Syreeta Wright, she first came to Motown circa 1967 to work in the secretarial pool. It wasn't long before her singing talents were recognized and she recorded and released a single ("I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" b/w "Something On My Mind", Gordy 7064, January 1968) under the name "Rita Wright." Though her single release did not achieve any Billboard chart action, she continued to work in the studio well into 1968, recording not only more sides for possible single release, but also background vocals and demo records for other Motown artists. Her budding songwriting talents emerged as she developed a closer relationship with Motown singing star Stevie Wonder. Having long since left her secretarial days behind and her solo recording career at a near standstill, she began to write songs with Wonder and even contributed background vocals on his records at the end of the 1960s and into the 1970s. Wright and Wonder were eventually married in 1970. Their marriage lasted a short time, but Wonder helped Wright develop her songwriting skills and they continued to work together after their divorce. By 1972, that work paid off when she finally received her chance in the spotlight. Stevie Wonder produced the eponymous album, SYREETA and the studio work of "Rita Wright" was left behind. She continued to work professionally throughout the 1970s to varying degrees of chart success under the single name Syreeta and was an active singer-songwriter until her death in 2004 from complications related to breast and bone cancers. She is considered one of the most underrated R&B vocalists to emerge out of the 1970s Motown scene. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.