Aretha Franklin, R.I.P.

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, has died at the age of 76.


Her passing doesn't come as a shock as reports came out a few days ago that she was gravely ill and has been in poor health for much of the 2010's. Nevertheless. today is a sad day made sadder by the fact that Queen of Soul died exactly 41 years to the day that the King of Rock 'n Roll Elvis Presley left the building. The Queen leaves the building with a legacy equal to that of the King.


Born and raised in Detroit, Franklin's roots were in gospel which she began performing at a young age and by her early teens she was a touring gospel performer. Aspiring to follow Sam Cooke in his footsteps, she made the transition from gospel to R&B in the early 1960's when she signed with Columbia Records recording 10 albums with the label between 1961 to 1967. I must confess I did not know her first Columbia LP was a collaboration with the great jazz pianist Ray Bryant. I must make a point of listening


But it was not until 1967 when Franklin left Columbia for Atlantic Records when she became a household name with her cover of Otis Redding's "Respect". This would be followed up with her interpretation of Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman", "Chain of Fools" (with a great guitar intro by Joe South), "Think", "I Say a Little Prayer" as well as Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" plus Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector's "Spanish Harlem". Like Presley, Franklin had an extraordinary way of making the songs of other writers into her own.


After a fallow period during the mid to late 1970's, Franklin enjoyed a resurgence in the 1980's first with a memorable appearance in The Blues Brothers where she introduced a new generation to "Think". Things would get better during the mid-1980's where she reached the MTV generation with her video for "Freeway of Love".  She would also enjoy success with "Who's Zooming Who" along with fruitful collaborations with The Eurythmics ("Sisters Are Doin' it For Themselves") and George Michael ("I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"). She also sang the theme for the hit NBC TV show A Different World. Millennials will likely remember Franklin best for her appearance at Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration and her cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep".


I was debating which song to highlight. "Chain of Fools" is my favorite Franklin song. I also love her appearance in The Blues Brothers. But I remember "Freeway of Love" when it came out in the summer of 1985 and dancing to it in both junior high and in high school. The song has stood up well and when I hear it, there is a four minutes plus of fun and happiness. On a day like this, we can all use a lift especially from the Queen of Soul herself. R.I.P.