Aretha Franklin - Day Dreaming | Soul Sunday

Опубликовано 3 мая 2026, 14:00

Long before acquiring the title “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin was gospel music royalty. At Detroit, Michigan’s New Bethel Baptist Church, where her father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, was famous for his preaching, congregants recognized her singing talent even in childhood. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1942, Aretha briefly moved with her family to Buffalo, New York, then to the Motor City, where she grew up. Her dad’s church connections brought her into contact with gospel singing stars like Clara Ward and James Cleveland and Civil Rights leaders like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She learned to play piano by ear. Her mother died when she was 10 on the heels of that loss, Aretha debuted as a solo vocalist at New Bethel. She began touring on the gospel circuit with her father, who also served as her manager. After recording for several gospel labels, Aretha, now 18 and intent on moving into pop, signed with Columbia Records, where she sought and intermittently achieved success in the secular realm without breaking into mass popularity. In 1967, when her Columbia deal ran out, she signed with Atlantic Records, where she became a megastar and built a catalog of soulful hits working with producer Jerry Wexler. Franklin’s Atlantic releases that year alone included “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),” “Respect,” “Baby I Love You,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Her run of Atlantic hits stretched into the ’70s and brought her back to her gospel roots when she released a recording made live in church Amazing Grace sold two million copies. Upon leaving Atlantic in 1980, Franklin moved to Arista Records. That same year she delivered an indelible cinematic appearance, performing “Respect” in The Blues Brothers. – Michael Dolan

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