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Syreeta was born Syreeta Wright in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1946, and started singing at age four. 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. Edward Holland of the famous Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team
noticed Wright's singing and decided to try her out for demos of Supremes songs. 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 Su ...read more
Syreeta was born Syreeta Wright in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1946, and started singing at age four. 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. Edward Holland of the famous Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team
noticed Wright's singing and decided to try her out for demos of Supremes songs. 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.
Wright also performed demo vocals for the Supremes hit "Love Child" and Ross's "Something's On My Mind". When Diana Ross
left the Supremes in early 1970, Motown boss Berry Gordy considered replacing her with Syreeta, but offered the place in the
group to Jean Terrell. Wright also sang background on records by the Supremes and by Martha and the Vandellas, notably
singing the chorus to the group's modest hit single, "I Can't Dance to That Music You're Playing". Wright met labelmate Stevie
Wonder in 1968, and the two began dating the following year. On the advice of Wonder, Wright became a songwriter. Their
first collaboration, "It's a Shame", was recorded by The Spinners, in 1969. Motown withheld its release until July 1970. The
song reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wright also began singing background for Wonder, most notably on the hit
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)", which Wright co-wrote with Wonder. In September 1970, after a year-long courtship,
Wright, 24, and Wonder, 20, married in Detroit. The couple then wrote and arranged songs from Wonder's Where I'm Coming
From, which was released much to Berry Gordy's chagrin in the spring of 1971. The Wonder-Wright composition "If You Really
Love Me" (which also featured Wright prominently singing background vocals) reached number 8 in the US that year. In 1971,
following Wonder's exit from Motown, the couple relocated to New York where Wonder worked on two independent albums.
Wonder returned to Motown in 1972 after being promised creative control for his recordings, allowing him to set up a
company called Black Bull Productions. Wonder and Wright came with songs for Wonder's next album, Music of My Mind.
Following a tour opening for The Rolling Stones in the summer of 1972, Wonder issued his follow-up, Talking Book, which
turned out to be Wonder's breakthrough album. In between the albums, Wright decided to return to her own singing career.
Motown reassigned the singer from Motown's Gordy imprint, where "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You" was released,
to Motown's L.A.-based MoWest subsidiary. Wonder and Wright had marriage troubles and divorced in the summer of 1972,
ending their 18-month marriage. Following their divorce, Wonder oversaw the production of Wright's first solo album, Syreeta,
which included Wright's take of Wonder's "I Love Every Little Thing About You" from Music of My Mind, the Smokey Robinson
classic "What Love Has Joined Together", and The Beatles' "She's Leaving Home", which featured both Wonder and Wright
applying background vocals via the talk box. MoWest issued "I Love Every Little Thing About You" in the late winter of 1972,
but it failed to chart. Material from Syreeta and Wonder's Talking Book were deemed autobiographical due to the rise and fall
of the ex-couple's marriage. Remaining best friends, Wright would continue to provide background vocals and compositions
with Wonder for the next two decades.
In 1974, Wright was again reassigned, this time to the Motown label proper, and issued her second release, the aptly titled
Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta that June. Following the success of Minnie Riperton's Perfect Angel, Wonder wanted to
present Wright in the same light as Riperton - as a sensual vocalist. The covers also were very similar to each other. Riperton
added background vocals to the album, promptly at the end of the album track "Heavy Day". The album yielded the UK singles
"I'm Goin' Left", "Spinnin' and Spinnin'" and the reggae-flavored "Your Kiss is Sweet", which became a UK Top 40, reaching
number 12 in 1975. The duo released the duet album Rich Love, Poor Love in 1977. Production on Wright's third album, One to
One, went on for two years. The album featured the sole Wonder production, "Harmour Love", which found some success
after being featured on the movie Junebug, and was mainly produced by Leon Ware, who also produced Marvin Gaye and
Riperton.
Wright's next effort came courtesy of a chance meeting with Billy Preston, who had signed with Motown in early 1979.
Motown assigned the two to collaborate on a pop ballad for the movie Fast Break. Wright and Preston provided the
soundtrack of the film and their first collaboration, "With You I'm Born Again", resulted in an international hit reaching number-
four US and number-two UK in late 1979. The success of the song led Motown to renew Wright's contract, which was due to
expire that year, with neither side looking to renegotiate. Wright and Preston continued their collaborations until 1982. Wright
still worked with Wonder during this period singing the lead vocals for their composition "Come Back as a Flower" for Wonder's
Journey through the Secret Life of Plants and also sung alongside Wonder on his 1980 song "As If You Read My Mind" for his
Hotter than July album. Wright continued to provide background vocals until Wonder's 1995 album Conversation Peace.
Wright continued to record for Motown into the 1980s, releasing her second self-titled album in 1980, and releasing the
funk/boogie-oriented Set My Love in Motion in late 1981. During that same time period, she added vocals to the theme song
for the Canadian Slasher-horror flick Happy Birthday to Me, known for starring Little House on the Prairieā²s Mellisa Sue
Anderson. The album featured the minor R&B hit "Quick Slick", which peaked at number 41 R&B in early 1982. Wright then
issued The Spell in 1983 and left Motown two years later after collaborating with Smokey Robinson for the soundtrack to
Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon in 1985. Wright briefly recorded for Motorcity Records before retiring from show business for
good in the mid 90s, settling in Los Angeles with her four children. « hide |
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