There are those events in our lives, the ones when we remember years later where we were at the time we heard the news. For soul music fans, today is likely going to be one of those days. Musical royalty has died. Aretha Franklin, the unquestioned “Queen of Soul,” and one of the most iconic singers of her generation, passed away in her hometown of Detroit after a long illness. She was 76.
Ms. Franklin’s musical legacy is quite simply, peerless. From her teen years as the daughter of the nationally revered Reverend C.L. Franklin, touring the highways and byways of the gospel circuit thrilling audiences with her God-given gift to her early days as a recording artist with Columbia Records – where she was a remarkable interpreter of a whole range of musical styles from jazz, pop, R&B, Broadway and standards – the Memphis-born, Detroit-raised icon has always added her own unique stamp to a unparalleled diversity of music.
Signed to Columbia Records in 1960, Aretha recorded a diverse string of a half dozen albums for that label that focused more on her talent as a song stylist, with largely jazzy arrangements. But, while many of those recordings are now cherished by music lovers, at the time they failed to propel her career to the level that her talented warranted.
After a half dozen albums on Columbia, Aretha signed with Atlantic Records in the mid-60s, and she never looked back. Her artistry came to international attention via a non-stop run of now-classic hits. “Respect,” “Think,” “A Natural Woman,” “Chain Of Fools,” “Until You Come Back To Me” and so many other songs helped shape the music of a generation along with repertoire highlights like her own “Dr. Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business),” “You Send Me,” “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” and “I Say A Little Prayer.”
In 1980, Aretha began her association with Arista Records and the hits continued: “Freeway Of Love,” “Who’s Zoomin’ Who,” “Jump To It” (produced by musical pal and friend Luther Vandross), “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me,” (a duet with George Michael) and “Willing To Forgive” were just some of the tracks on the 1994 platinum album, “Greatest Hits (1990-1994).”
Always attuned to current music and yet always maintaining her own musical integrity, Aretha worked with ’90s hitmaker Lauryn Hill on her best-sellng “A Rose Is Still A Rose” set alongside hit producers P. Diddy, Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Daryl Simmons and others; the result – which included her own “The Woman” hailed as “arguably her most soulful performance in years” by All Music Guide – was one of Aretha’s best-selling albums, spurred by the response to the title cut, a gold-selling Top 5 R&B and Top 30 pop single.
As the new century arose, Aretha continued to record and perform, and her gravitas continued to grow to an almost singular level. Even as health forced her to slow down, each performance she gave – including forays into opera, and even an iconic performance at President Obama’s inauguration – were treasured as lifetime memories by her listeners. Franklin battled an undisclosed illness on and off for several years, before dying in 2018.
Ms. Franklin’s incredible discography of more than a half century’s worth of performances will live on and be studied by musicologists and cherished by fans for years to come.
By Chris Rizik (with thanks to David Nathan)
