Betty Padgett

Although sweet-voiced South Florida R&B diva Betty Padgett has been an active performer and sporadic recording artist for decades, she's made only scarce and fleeting impressions on the radar of even devoted soul and funk aficionados, at least until recently. Born in Newport, NJ, and raised in Florida from sixth grade onward, she followed the well-worn path from church choir to concert stage. Immersing herself in the booming Florida funk scene of the early '70s, she started an all-female group, Betty & the Q's, and signed on in 1971 with a Fort Lauderdale funk outfit, Joey Gil...