Betty Jane Willis (March 10, 1941 – January 1, 2018) was an American
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
singer in the 1960s.
Biography
Born on a farm in
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, Willis moved with her family to
Fresno, California
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...
, when she was two. In the early 1960s, she moved to
Santa Ana and sang in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
-area nightclubs. Singer
Bill Medley
William Thomas Medley (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers. He is noted for his bass-baritone voice, exemplified in songs such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Med ...
, whose career with
The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Lo ...
was just beginning, was told about Willis. Medley and Willis recorded a song together at
Gold Star Studios, but it was never released. However, her voice and association with the studio drew notice from producers
Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...
and
Leon Russell, who retooled the country song "
Act Naturally
"Act Naturally" is a song written by Johnny Russell, with a writing credit given to Voni Morrison and publishing rights transferred to Buck Owens. It was originally recorded by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, whose version reached number one on ...
" into a
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...
version for Willis in 1965. As part of the duo Betty and Ray, with Ray Lockhart, she also made several other recordings. Her last known recording was in 1968.
According to her daughter, Willis enjoyed a singing career but did not want to be part of the
music industry. She also grew frustrated when paperwork was mishandled that scuttled an Africa music tour. She briefly worked in a factory before becoming a postal worker in the 1980s and retired after 37 years.
Personal life
Despite having family in Santa Ana, Willis chose to mostly
live on the street in retirement. She slept outside a fabric shop, arriving after the shop closed and leaving before it opened.
Death
Early on January 1, 2018, Willis was assaulted by a
homeless man who attempted to rape her. She was hit repeatedly on the head and
strangled to death, before police arrived to apprehend her attacker. Willis was 76.
On August 31, 2022, 56 months after the murder of Betty Willis, ''
Los Angeles Magazine'' published a lengthy feature on the apparent lack of justice in the Willis case. The main focus of the article was the fact that more than four and a half years have passed since the man charged with her rape and murder was taken into custody.
The piece points out that, as of summer 2022, the suspect in the January 2018 murder has yet to be prosecuted for the alleged killing of Willis.
References
External links
*
Killing Betty Willisfeature at LAMag
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Betty
1941 births
2018 deaths
2018 murders in the United States
20th-century American singers
21st-century American women
20th-century African-American women singers
American soul singers
Deaths by strangulation in the United States
Homeless people
Murdered African-American people
American murder victims
Musicians from Fresno, California
Musicians from Orange County, California
People from Mississippi
People from Santa Ana, California
People murdered in California
Singers from California
Female murder victims
20th-century American women singers
Phi-Dan Records artists
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American people