Edna Wright (February 2, 1945 – September 12, 2020) was an American singer, best known as the lead singer of

Honey Cone Honey Cone was an American R&B and soul girl group formed by lead singer Edna Wright (sister of Darlene Love) with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark in 1968. They are best remembered for their number-one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 single, "Want Ads" ...

, the girl group that went to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with the song "

Want Ads "Want Ads" is a song that was a million-selling #1 pop and R&B hit recorded by female group, Honey Cone for their second album '' Sweet Replies'' and also appears on their third album ''Soulful Tapestry''. The song on the Detroit-based Hot Wax l ...

" in 1971. She was the younger sister of singer

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and she also recorded as a solo artist. She began singing as a child with her ...

. Wright sang backup for various artists, including

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 Los ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, and

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

Life and career

Edna Wright, a Los Angeles native, grew up singing in the church. Her father, Bishop J.W. Wright, was a pastor at King's Holiness Chapel in Los Angeles. In 1960, she began singing in a gospel group called The COGIC (Church of God in Christ) singers. Through her older sister,

, Wright met producer

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 ...

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spec ...

, an associate of Spector, produced her first feature recording in 1964. Wright sang lead on "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" by Hale and the Hushabyes which was a pseudonym for a group that included

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songwr ...

. Under the stage name Sandy Wynns she released her debut solo single "A Touch of Venus" on Champion Records, which led to a nationwide nightclub tour. She then became a backing vocalist for

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

, and

. Charles asked her to join

the Raelettes The Raelettes (or occasionally The Raelets or The Raeletts) were an American girl group formed in 1958 to provide backing vocals for Ray Charles. They were reformed from the group The Cookies. Between 1966 and 1973, the Raelettes recorded on T ...

, his female backing group. In 1968, Wright's sister Darlene Love was scheduled to appear on an

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

TV special. She was unable to attend, so she asked Wright to fill in for her. Wright asked Carolyn Willis and

Shelly Clark Shelly Clark (born July 27, 1947) is an American singer, dancer and actress, best known as a founding member of the 1970s R&B girls group, Honey Cone who had the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit single, "Want Ads" released in March 1971. Early life S ...

to join her for the appearance. She also contacted

Eddie Holland Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", ...

, who recently left

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

Records along with

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous hit ...

and

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

to form HDH Records, to watch the show. Impressed by Wright, Holland offered her a contract, but she preferred to be in a group. He signed the trio to

Hot Wax Records Hot Wax Records was a Detroit, Michigan-based record label, created by producers/songwriters Holland–Dozier–Holland (Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland) in 1968 when they left Motown. History Until 1967, Holland, Dozier, and Holl ...

. They released their debut single, "While You're Out Looking for Sugar", in 1969. But their biggest success came in 1971 when they topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with the hit "Want Ads" from the album ''

Soulful Tapestry ''Soulful Tapestry'' is the third studio album by girl group Honey Cone. It was released by Hot Wax/Invictus Records in 1971 (see 1971 in music). Album information The name of the album was based on and inspired by Carole King's Pop/Rock break- ...

''. The song spent one week at No. 1, and also spent three weeks atop the R&B chart. The record was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, and their next single " Stick-Up," also went gold. The trio split up in 1973. Wright married musician Greg Perry, who co-wrote and produced many of Honey Cone's recordings at Hot Wax. In 1977, she released her only solo album, '' Oops! Here I Go Again'', on

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, which Perry produced. In the 1980s and 1990s, Wright sang backup for various musical acts, including U2,

Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...

Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is a retired American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. ...

and

Andraé Crouch Andraé Edward Crouch (July 1, 1942 – January 8, 2015) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Referred to as "the father of modern gospel music" by contemporary Christian and gospel music profess ...

. On September 18, 2016, Wright along with Clark were honored with the 2016 National Rhythm and Blues Music Society Unsung Heroine Awards at their Black Tie Gala, Dinner & Awards Ceremony at the Double Tree by Hilton in Philadelphia, PA. Willis, who was not in attendance received an award as well. On September 24, 2017, Wright and Clark were honored with the Heroes and Legends Award (HAL) in Music at The Beverly Hill Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA. On September 12, 2020, Wright died suddenly, at age 75 after suffering a heart attack at a hospital in

Encino, California Encino (Spanish language, Spanish for "oak") is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, traveled north t ...

. She suffered from

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...

. Her sister Darlene Love released a statement on her Facebook page: "I'm in complete shock and so heartbroken by the sudden loss of my beautiful baby sister Edna. Please keep me and my family in your prayers during this very sad time for us." On 8, January 2021, Honey Cone was inducted into the Soul Music Hall Of Fame Class of 2020.

Discography

Albums

* 1966: The Cogics – ''It's a Blessing'' (Exodus Records) * 1977: '' Oops! Here I Go Again'' (RCA Victor)

Singles

* 1964: "The Touch of Venus" / "A Lover's Quarrel" (Champion 14001) * 1964: "Love Belongs to Everyone" / "Yes I Really Love You" (Champion 14002) * 1977: "You Can't See the Forest (for the Trees)" / "Nothing Comes to a Sleeper (But A Dream)" (RCA 11014)

Backing vocal credits

* 1969:

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

– ''Hair'' * 1969:

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 Los ...

– ''Re-Birth'' * 1971:

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. ...

– '' New York City (You're a Woman)'' * 1974:

Freda Payne Freda Charcilia Payne (born September 19, 1942Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944.) is an American singer and actress. Payne is best ...

– ''

Payne & Pleasure ''Payne & Pleasure'' was Freda Payne's fifth American released album and her first for the ABC/Dunhill label, released in 1974 (ABC owned Payne's previous label, Impulse! Records as well). The album was produced by Mckinley Jackson. It consist ...

'' * 1974: Nancy Wilson – ''All In Love Is Fair'' * 1974:

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion dur ...

– ''Pieces of Dreams'' * 1975:

– ''In the Pocket'' * 1975:

– ''Stars'' * 1979:

Elkie Brooks Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1946) is an English rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest success in the late 1970s and 1980 ...

– ''Live and Learn'' * 1980:

– ''

Romance Dance ''Romance Dance'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes. It was released on June 2, 1980 by EMI America. It became Carnes' first charting album, peaking at no. 57 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Nine tracks were produced by ...

'' * 1982:

– ''Finally'' * 1988: Darlene Love – ''Paint Another Picture'' * 1988: U2 – ''

Rattle and Hum ''Rattle and Hum'' is a hybrid live/studio album by Irish Rock music, rock band U2, and a companion rockumentary film directed by Phil Joanou. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and was released on 10 October 1988, while the film was distri ...

'' * 1988: U2 – " Desire (Hollywood Remix)" * 1993:

– ''The Grand Tour'' * 2017:

Mike Love Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bass-bari ...

– ''

Unleash the Love ''Unleash the Love'' is the second solo studio album by American singer Mike Love. It was released on November 17, 2017. Background and production Before ''Unleash the Love'', Mike Love had not officially released a solo album since 1981's '' ...

References

External links

Edna Wright
on

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Edna 1944 births 2020 deaths Singers from Los Angeles American soul singers 20th-century African-American women singers RCA Victor artists 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women