“Forgotten Hollywood”- Say a Little Prayer…
Manny P. here…
“`Aretha Franklin was an incredibly gifted vocalist that overshadowed her unparalleled ability to perform and her talent as an accomplished pianist. Aretha belongs in the Mt. Rushmore of great female R&B/Soul singers to emerge in the Top 40 era of music, which also includes Etta James, Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle, and Gladys Knight. Franklin’s style also transcended Gospel and Jazz. She was the complete package, and for this reason, she was dubbed: the Queen of Soul.
“`Born in Memphis, Aretha and her family settled in Detroit. One of her childhood friends was Smokey Robinson. Her father, C. L. Franklin was among the most prominent Baptist ministers of his time. He recorded dozens of albums of sermons and music and knew such gospel stars as Marion Williams and Clara Ward, who mentored Aretha and her sisters Carolyn and Erma. Music was the family business, and performers from Sam Cooke to Lou Rawls were guests at the Franklin house.
“`Franklin signed with Columbia Records producer John Hammond, who called Franklin the most exciting singer he had heard since a vocalist he promoted decades earlier, Billie Holiday. Franklin knew Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. and she considered joining his label. Franklin jumped to Atlantic Records when her contract at Columbia ran out in 1966.
“`Her career was defined by an extraordinary string of top ten hits in the late 1960s, from the bliss of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, to the sassy Chain of Fools, and her unstoppable call for Respect. Other hits include Dr. Feelgood, I Never Loved a Man, Rock Steady, Until You Come Back to Me, I Say a Little Prayer For You, Freeway of Love, Ain’t No Way, and Who’s Zoomin’ Who. Think was performed on screen by Aretha during one memorable scene in The Blues Brothers movie.
“`Political leaders treated her as a peer. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a longtime friend, and she sang at the dedication of King’s memorial, in 2011. She performed at the inaugurations of Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and at the funeral for civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. Clinton gave Franklin the National Medal of Arts. President George W. Bush awarded Aretha a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2005.
“`And the accolades always poured in; she was the recipient of eighteen Grammy Awards. Aretha also was the first woman inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“`Franklin’s funeral will be held at Greater Grace Temple, and limited to family and friends. Public viewings will take place on August 28th – 29th at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History from 9a to 9p. Aretha is be entombed at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.
“`The regal Aretha Franklin was 76.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Friday, August 17th, 2018 at 3:09 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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