Hail The Queen

Most people when they think of Aretha Franklin, they think of
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. And quite naturally, she deserves just that. Pumping out gold records and singles since the late-60s and delivering her awesome brand of soulful undescribable R&B to the world has been her full-time occupation since she struck gold on the Atlantic Records label. It’s almost impossible to define her kind of quality and uniqueness - and this is no mere exaggeration. She achieved ten Top Ten hits in an eighteen-month period from early 1967 to 1968. She then nailed the musical world with huge sellers and hit singles on both the R&B and pop charts during the late sixties and most of the seventies. There was almost no sign of stopping her kind of takeover. She influenced a new generation of soul singers to press on where she left and took a leap into more pop-oriented material in the 1980s. Regardless of what style or genre she choose, she worked her gift and proved that she was not just another singer that could sing. She was THE artist.

Proof of her brilliance lays in her songwriting. Many may not know that she wrote or co-wrote such soul standards as “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone”, the moving love ballad “Call Me”, “Think”, “Ain’t No Way”, “Day Dreaming”, her utmost bluesy affair on “Dr. Feelgood” and the infectious funk outfit “Rock Steady”. She also was a premiere, yet underrated session keyboardist.

It’s amazing to say that lately we have recently acknowledged her royalty in music with the recent honors by the UNCF, Rock & Roll Music Hall of Fame (by being the first woman inducted into the infamous hall), BET Walk of Fame, Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards and others. Recently, the United Negro College Fund threw her a musical celebration that is fitting for a king - including such superstars as Chaka Khan, James Ingram, Natalie Cole, Joss Stone, Smokey Robinson, Karen Clark-Sheard, Twinkie Clark, Herbie Hancock, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Michael Bolton and Ruben Studdard. But do we really understand the nature of her importance to the music world? Imagine music without Aretha Franklin?

Even though many critics agree that her Atlantic material will never be matched by her own self again, it should go on record that songs such as “Freeway of Love”, ‘Who’s Zoomin’ Who”, “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me”, her jump into 90's house/dance music with “A Deeper Love” and the funky infectious tune produced by the late Luther Vandross “Jump To It” proves she is far from a particular era sensation in American history. She is practically timeless and shows no signs of giving up her throne as the Queen of Soul - PP

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