The world has lost another legend of music. Sad to hear of the passing of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, yesterday. A true and honest soul through and through. An icon of the scene, and general pop culture as a whole in the 20th century. She was a strong woman, and bold African American, from a time when neither of those things was easy. She never left her hometown roots in Detroit, and stayed true to who she was. Through her music she gave spirit and emotion to so many generations. I hope the library she leaves behind will continue to do so for many, many more years to come. Gone from this world, may she rest in eternal peace.
Yesterday was a very tough day for me.. My father’s side of my family is black. My father and grandmother LOVED Aretha, they never used her last name which I was always entertained by.. I remember a lot of her music growing up and had the honor of seeing/listening to her perform live about 15 years ago. Aretha will always have a special place in my heart. Rest In Peace, my Queen..
Description from Youtube: "Live on Soul Train, a sweet and unscripted moment between Smokey and Aretha prompted by brother Don Cornelius" And in 1998, she was asked to step in for Luciano Pavarotti at the Grammys, when he fell ill. Pretty much unrehearsed, it was an effortless performance for the Queen of Soul who could span FOUR octaves! http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...rammy-awards-nessun-dorma-20180816-story.html Another wonderful performance in 2015 at the Kennedy Center for various dignitaries and President Obama To a beautiful soul, may she rest in eternal peace.
My "AHA!" moment of really "getting" Aretha on my own (after of course having grown up hearing all the major hits as just part of the fabric of American radio) was about 20 years ago, after a visit home to NJ. This was before I had the internet at home and access to (the world's greatest radio station) WFMU, so when we went down there I would make cassette tapes of shows I liked (yes... in the late 90s I was making cassette tapes of radio shows). I taped Gaylord Fields' show and he played "Daydreaming". I don't think I had ever really heard the tune before, and of course it was framed/contextualized by a great set... it really kicked off my deeper appreciation of her & exploration of her wonderful catalog.
Motor City royalty that won't be forgotten. Aretha pushed so many boundaries in so many ways to bring humanity a deeper appreciation for soulful music.
Thank you so much for posting my Aretha homage picture here, David! Our Queen is the LEGEND of legends!
