Black Americans of Achievement - Aretha Franklin--Entertainer

8/12/2019 Black Americans of Achievement - Aretha Franklin--Entertainer

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ARETHAFRANKLIN


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BLACK AMERICANS OF ACHIEVEMENT

ARETHAFRANKLIN

Jim McAvoy

CHELSEA HOUSE PUBLISHERSPhiladelphia


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Chelsea House Publishers

Editor in Chief Sally Cheney

Associate Editor in Chief Kim Shinners

Production Manager Pamela Loos

Art Director Sara Davis

Director of Photography Judy L. Hasday

Cover Designer Takeshi Takahashi

2002 by Chelsea House Publishers, a subsidiary of Haights CrossCommunications. All rights reserved. Printed and bound in the

United States of America.

The Chelsea House World Wide Web address is

http://www.chelseahouse.com

First Printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McAvoy, Jim.

Aretha Franklin / Jim McAvoy.p. cm.(Black Americans of achievement series)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-7910-5808-5 (alk. paper)SBN 0-7910-5809-3 (pbk.: alk. paper)

1. Franklin, ArethaJuvenile literature. 2. Soul musiciansUnitedStatesBibliographyJuvenile literature. [1. Franklin, Aretha. 2. Singers. 3. Soul music.4. Afro-AmericansBiography. 5. WomenBiography.] I. Title. II. Black Americans ofachievement.

ML3930.F68 M33 2000

782.421644'092dc21[B]

00-060134

Frontispiece: ArethaFranklin, the Queen of Soul,

brings her powerful voice and

commanding presence toevery performance.

Dedicated to Mom, Dad, Don, Mike, Connie, Dan, Joe,Megan, Mary Katherine, and Joseph Frederickthe mostimportant people in my life.In memory of Constance Harris.


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CONTENTS

On Achievement 8Coretta Scott King

1A Rose Is Still a Rose 11

2Life in the Church 17

3The Columbia Years 27

4R-E-S-P-E-C-T 37

5Amazing Grace 47

6Changes 57

7The Road Back 69

8What You See Is What You Sweat 81

9The Reign Continues 91

Chronology 102

Selected Discography 104

Grammy Awards 106

Further Reading 107

Index 108


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BLACK AMERICANS OF ACHIEVEMENT

HENRY AARONbaseball great

KAREEM ABDUL-JABBARbasketball great

MUHAMMAD ALIheavyweight champion

RICHARD ALLENreligious leader and social activist

MAYA ANGELOUauthor

LOUIS ARMSTRONGmusician

ARTHUR ASHEtennis great

JOSEPHINE BAKERentertainer

JAMES BALDWINauthor

TYRA BANKS

model

BENJAMIN BANNEKERscientist and mathematician

COUNT BASIEbandleader and composer

ANGELA BASSETTactress

ROMARE BEARDENartist

HALLE BERRYactress

MARY MCLEOD BETHUNEeducator

GEORGE WASHINGTONCARVER

botanist

JOHNNIE COCHRANlawyer

BILL COSBYentertainer

MILES DAVISmusician

FREDERICK DOUGLASSabolitionist editor

CHARLES DREW

physician

W. E. B. DU BOISscholar and activist

PAUL LAURENCE DUNBARpoet

DUKE ELLINGTONbandleader and composer

RALPH ELLISONauthor

JULIUS ERVINGbasketball great

LOUIS FARRAKHANpolitical activist

ELLA FITZGERALDsinger

ARETHA FRANKLINentertainer

MORGAN FREEMANactor

MARCUS GARVEYblack nationalist leader

JOSH GIBSONbaseball great

WHOOPI GOLDBERG

entertainer

CUBA GOODINGJR.actor

ALEX HALEYauthor

PRINCE HALLsocial reformer

JIMI HENDRIXmusician

MATTHEW HENSONexplorer

GREGORY HINESperformer

BILLIE HOLIDAYsinger

LENA HORNEentertainer

WHITNEY HOUSTONsinger and actress

LANGSTON HUGHESpoet

JANETJACKSONmusician

JESSEJACKSON

civil-rights leader and politician

MICHAELJACKSONentertainer

SAMUEL L. JACKSONactor


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T. D. JAKESreligious leader

JACKJOHNSONheavyweight champion

MAGICJOHNSONbasketball great

SCOTTJOPLINcomposer

BARBARAJORDANpolitician

MICHAELJORDANbasketball great

CORETTA SCOTT KINGcivil-rights leader

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.civil-rights leader

LEWIS LATIMERscientist

SPIKE LEE

filmmaker

CARL LEWISchampion athlete

JOE LOUISheavyweight champion

RONALD MCNAIRastronaut

MALCOLM Xmilitant black leader

BOB MARLEYmusician

THURGOOD MARSHALLSupreme Court justice

TERRY MCMILLANauthor

TONI MORRISONauthor

ELIJAH MUHAMMADreligious leader

EDDIE MURPHYentertainer

JESSE OWENSchampion athlete

SATCHEL PAIGE

baseball great

CHARLIE PARKERmusician

ROSA PARKScivil-rights leader

COLIN POWELLmilitary leader

PAUL ROBESONsinger and actor

JACKIE ROBINSONbaseball great

CHRIS ROCKcomedian and actor

DIANA ROSSentertainer

WILL SMITHactor

WESLEY SNIPESactor

CLARENCE THOMASSupreme Court justice

SOJOURNER TRUTHantislavery activist

HARRIET TUBMAN

antislavery activist

NAT TURNERslave revolt leader

TINA TURNERentertainer

ALICE WALKERauthor

MADAM C. J. WALKERentrepreneur

BOOKER T. WASHINGTONeducator

DENZEL WASHINGTONactor

J. C. WATTSpolitician

VANESSA WILLIAMSsinger and actress

OPRAH WINFREYentertainer

TIGER WOODSgolf star

RICHARD WRIGHTauthor


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Before you begin this book, I hope you will ask yourself what the wordexcellence means to you. I think its a question we should all ask, and keepasking as we grow older and change. Because the truest answer to it should

never change. When you think of excellence, perhaps you think of successat work; or of becoming wealthy; or meeting the right person, gettingmarried, and having a good family life.

Those goals are worth striving for, but there is a better way to look atexcellence. As Martin Luther King Jr. said in one of his last sermons, Iwant you to be first in love. I want you to be first in moral excellence. I wantyou to be first in generosity. If you want to be important, wonderful. If youwant to be great, wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest amongyou shall be your servant.

My husband knew that the true meaning of achievement is service.When I met him, in 1952, he was already ordained as a Baptist minister andwas working toward a doctoral degree at Boston University. I was studyingat the New England Conservatory and dreamed of accomplishments inmusic. We married a year later, and after I graduated the following year wemoved to Montgomery, Alabama. We didnt know it then, but our notionsof achievement were about to undergo a dramatic change.

You may have read or heard about what happened next. What beganwith the boycott of a local bus line grew into a national crusade, and by the

time he was assassinated in 1968 my husband had fashioned a blackmovement powerful enough to shatter forever the practice of racialsegregation. What you may not have read about is where he learned to resistinjustice without compromising his religious beliefs.

ONACHIEVEMENT

Coretta Scott King

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INTRODUCTION 9

He adopted a strategy of nonviolence from a man of a different race,who lived in a different country and even practiced a different religion. Theman was Mahatma Gandhi, the great leader of India, who devoted his lifeto serving humanity in the spirit of love and nonviolence. It was in these

principles that Martin discovered his method for social reform. More thananything else, those two principles were the key to his achievements.

These books are about African Americans who served society throughthe excellence of their achievements. They form part of the rich history ofblack men and women in Americaa history of stunning accomplishmentsin every field of human endeavor, from literature and art to science, indus-try, education, diplomacy, athletics, jurisprudence, even polar exploration.

Not all of the people in this history had the same ideals, but I think youwill find that all of them had something in common. Like Martin Luther

King Jr., they all decided to become drum majors and serve humanity. Inthat principlewhether it was expressed in books, inventions, or songthey found a goal and a guide outside themselves that showed them a wayto serve others instead of living only for themselves.

Reading the stories of these courageous men and women not only helpsus discover the principles that we will use to guide our own lives; it alsoteaches us about our black heritage and about America itself. It iscrucial for us to know the heroes and heroines of our history and to realizethat the price we paid in our struggle for equality in America was dear. Butwe must also understand that we have gotten as far as we have partlybecause Americas democratic system and ideals made it possible.

We are still struggling with racism and prejudice. But the great men andwomen in this series are a tribute to the spirit of the country inwhich they have flourished. And that makes their stories special andworth knowing.


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1

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IN THE WINTER of 1998, the Queen of Soul wasinvited to sing for operas greatest tenor, and beforethe week was out she would do it again, albeit undervastly different circumstances. The setting for the

first performance was the Waldorf-Astoria in NewYork City, where the MusiCares charitable organiza-tion held a banquet honoring Italian vocalist LucianoPavarotti. In attendance was soul singer extraordinaireAretha Franklin, who had been asked to sing in honorof the legendary Pavarotti. The selection chosen wasNessun dorma from the Giacomo Puccini operaTurandot. The strikingly haunting aria had long beenassociated with Pavarotti and was known as one of his

signature arias.After the conclusion of Arethas passionate per-

formance, the ecstatic Pavarotti rushed to her sideand gave her an enthusiastic and grateful embrace. Inthe course of conversation, he extended to Aretha aninvitation to visit his home in Modena, Italy, where,he proposed, they would sing together. Knowing ofFranklins widely publicized fear of flying, the consid-erate Pavarotti offered to send his private jet for her.

He even said he would fly with her from Detroit,where her home is, to Italy, in order to calm anyflight anxiety!

Aretha Franklin sings the

National Anthem before a

1999 Three Tenors concert

performance by her friend,Luciano Pavarotti, at Tiger

Stadium in Detroit, Michigan.

A ROSE IS STILL A ROSE


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Just two days later Aretha Franklin was again per-forming in New York City, this time at the famedRadio City Music Hall for the Grammy Awards, the

music industrys gala annual event. Dressed in a floor-length, red-patterned dress, she rocked the housewith a slowed-down reworking of her 1967 classicRespect, the most popular song of her long career.Aretha had performed the song in the film BluesBrothers 2000, the sequel to the 1980 hit film TheBlues Brothers, in which Franklin had also appeared.This live performance at the Grammy Awards wasdesigned to publicize the new movie, and the four

members of the Blues Brothers Band, including DanAykroyd and John Goodman, joined her onstage.

After a performance that was received with astanding ovation from her peers, Aretha and theBlues Brothers Band presented the years Best NewArtist Award to singer-songwriter Paula Cole. Thegrateful Cole, upon receiving her trophy, told the

12 ARETHA FRANKLIN

Aretha Franklin, Luciano

Pavarotti, and members of the

R&B group Boyz II Men pose

for a photograph during a 1998benefit held in Pavarotti's honor

and sponsored by the MusiCarescharity in New York City.


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world that receiving this award from the Queen ofSoul was like a dream come true. As the programpaused for a commercial break, Aretha and the bandleft the stage, and she headed to her backstage dress-

ing room, where producers of that nights telecastwere about to ask Aretha for a favor.

Luciano Pavarotti had been scheduled to singNessun dorma, the same Puccini aria Aretha hadperformed for him a few days before at the Musi-Cares event. Just minutes before he was to sing,Pavarotti let the producers know that a throatcondition had prompted his doctors to warn himagainst performing. With less than 15 minutes to gobefore Pavarottis scheduled performance, the har-ried producers rushed into Arethas dressing roomand explained the situation. Would she help themout by substituting for the great tenor? After hesitat-ing only a few seconds, Franklin agreed to sing.

What followed was chaos, Aretha later wrotein her book,Aretha: From These Roots. The Grammystaff scrambled to find a tape player on which to playthe aria, thus preparing Aretha for the monumentaltask at hand, which would include reviewing all of

the words to the aria. But there were problems. Thesong had been orchestrated differently from the pieceshe had sung at the MusiCares benefit. Whats more,it was written in Pavarottis key, much lower than herown. Aretha explained, There was no time foradjustments or modifications. And certainly no timefor rehearsal. This was do or die.

And so she did do it, before an audience of no lessthan 1.5 billion people watching throughout the

world. The response to her triumphant rendering wasoverwhelmingly positive. The ovation from mypeers was wonderful. I sang Puccini because I lovePuccini. It was God who gave me the gift of song,and it is God who keeps me strong in that gift.Aretha Franklin received her second standing ova-tion of the night.

13A ROSE IS STILL A ROSE


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But it was not just recording industry insiderswho applauded Arethas surprise performance.People on the streets of New York lavished praise onthe singer the following day, as did music critics

nationwide. Offers poured in from orchestras allacross the United States requesting that ArethaFranklin sing not only her pop hits but also operawith them.

At a press conference held later that week for therelease of her albumA Rose Is Still a Rose, the acco-lades continued. People were still floored by the

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Aretha has worked with many

of today's most successfulyoung stars, including Lauryn

Hill, who wrote the title cut

for Franklins album A Rose

Is Still a Rose.


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stirring performance she had given despite having solittle notice. The moment the world would remem-ber best from that awards ceremony belonged toAretha Franklin. Compliments were also lavished on

Rose, a successful crossover album on which Arethahad worked with some of the hottest producers of theday, including Lauryn Hill, Sean Puffy Combs, and

Jermaine Dupri.She could probably sing opera if she wanted to,

friend and fellow singer Dionne Warwick had pre-dicted about Aretha in the 1988 American Masterstelevision documentary Aretha Franklin: Queen ofSoul.

The display of such impressive talent and rangeof ability shouldnt have come as a surprise to anyonewho had been following music or Aretha Franklinscareer since the early days. After four decades of illus-trious performancesboth as a vocalist with anincredible and inimitable voice and as a pianistthewoman referred to as the queen had become both alegend in her own time and true music royalty. Fromthe time 10-year-old Aretha, a shy preachers daugh-ter, first stood on a chair in her fathers church and

sang her debut solo, Jesus, Be a Fence Around Me,the music worldfrom gospel to soul to pop tooperawould be forever changed.

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2

JUST AS THE blues, country, and rock and rollmusic had their storied roots in Memphis, Tennessee,so too did one of the finest interpreters of Americanmusic. Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis

on March 25, 1942, daughter of Reverend ClarenceLaVaughn Franklin and his wife, Barbara SiggersFranklin, a nurses aide and noted gospel singer.

Named for her fathers two sisters, Aretha Louise wasthe fourth child of the couple, whose marriage hadalready produced two sons, Cecil and Vaughn, and adaughter, Erma. About two years after Arethas birth,a fifth child, Carolyn Franklin, was born.

A former sharecropper, C. L., as Arethas father

was called, had been drawn to the religious life andthen become a Baptist minister at a young age. Yearslater he would tell his children stories about travelingfrom point to point in the South of the 1930s, jump-ing down from the mule he was riding on to preachthe Gospel to passersby.

After meeting in Shelby, Mississippi, C. L. andBarbara married and moved to Buffalo, New York,where the young man started what would be a most

reputable career as a pastor of the Friendship BaptistChurch. He had gone to LeMoyne College in Mem-phis and studied literature and sociology, an impres-sive acheivement for an African-American man in theSouth at that time. From that experience he brought

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LIFE IN THE CHURCH

The daughter of a Baptistminister, Aretha grew up in

the church, where she displayed

her talents as a gospel singerat a very young age. By the

time she was a teenager, she

would seek success elsewhere.


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forth his more liberal interpretations of the Bible.While at Friendship Baptist Church, Barbara under-took the role of ministers wife and acted as thepianist and choir leader.

When Aretha was two years old, the familymoved to Detroit, Michigan, a city which at that timehad a bustling economy, due in no small part to theautomobile industry. Millions of southerners, espe-cially blacks, had relocated to the city in the hopes ofcreating a better future. With the move to Detroitcame a new assignment for Reverend Franklinpas-torship of the New Bethel Baptist Church.

Life in the Franklin household centered aroundthe church. New Bethel was a large, influentialAfrican-American congregation, and the buildingitself could hold around 4,500 worshippers. As mem-bers of the pastors family, Barbara and the childrenregularly attended church services, Gospel choirpractice, and other church activities. Members of thecongregation became like family to the Franklins.

Even visiting gospel singers became wellacquainted with the fun-loving Franklin family. Starsof the circuit like Mahalia Jackson (long regarded as

the first lady of gospel music), Clara Ward, and SamCooke often visited, ate, and worshipped with theFranklins. On one occasion, Aretha was particularlyimpressed by Nat King Cole, a tall, dark, handsomeman with a velvety voice singing and playing thefamily piano. The influences these performers had onthe young Aretha would become readily apparent asthe years progressed.

Days in the church were filled with Reverend

Franklins powerful and practical sermons and thesweet sound of hymns like Precious Lord, Take MyHand, Amazing Grace, and How I Got Over,one of Clara Wards trademark songs. Church nurseswere on hand in case some parishioners get so caughtup in the Spirit that they required smelling salts orsome other remedy.

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about this at length for the first time in her autobiog-raphy,Aretha: From These Roots. Despite the fact thatit has been written innumerable times, it is anabsolute lie that my mother abandoned us. In no way,

shape, form, or fashion did our mother desert us. Shewas extremely responsible, loving, and caring. Shesimply moved with Vaughn back to Buffalo, where shelived with her parents. The Franklins decided thatthe best plan would be to have the other four childrenstay with C. L. Barbara Franklin simply would not beable to care for five children on the salary paid to anurses aide at Buffalo General Hospital.

Although the separation was hard for the children,it was made easier by regular communication with theirmother through phone calls and visits to Buffalo duringthe summer. Reverend Franklins mother, RachelFranklin, whom the family called Big Mama, helpedher son out with Cecil, Erma, Aretha, and Carolyn.

Aretha has described herself during these days asa tomboy and a little helper to Big Mama. She lovedto climb trees, watch classic 1950s TV like Its HowdyDoody Time and Texaco Star Theatre, and play prankson younger sister Carolyn. But something else was

increasingly taking up much of young Arethas timeas well: music.

Aretha began piano lessons at the age of eight. Infact, because all of the Franklin children seemed musi-cally oriented, the family owned two pianos. As aresult, music was a permanent fixture of the household.

Nevertheless, innate talent did not mean that eight-year-old Aretha liked taking lessons. When my pianoteacher came to the house, I would hide behind the

coats in the back of the closet because I thought herexercises far too elementary; I wanted to skip to theintermediate level. . . . I wanted to run before I couldwalk, she admitted later in life. According to SmokeyRobinson, Aretha hardly needed lessons at all. In theAmerican Masters television special about his friend, hedescribes the immense piano skills she had as a child ascomparable to the ones she exhibits today.

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As Ree (as she is sometimes called) became moreconfident in her piano playing and singing, requests forher to perform increased. Occasionally when ReverendFranklin had guests over who wanted to hear his little

girl sing, he would wake Aretha out of a sound sleep,and she would obediently oblige.

In 1952, Arethas life changed in many importantways. She was baptized at New Bethel Church andsang her first solo there. Standing on a chair to makeup for her short stature, the young girl confidently letloose with a rendition of Jesus, Be a Fence AroundMe, a song she had first heard Sam Cooke performwith his gospel group, the Soul Stirrers. The congre-gations reaction was a mix of pride and glee. Arethahad heard Clara Ward sing, and after witnessingWards passionate vocalizations, the young pastorsdaughter knew that one day she would be a singer too.

There was tragedy too, that year, as Barbara Sig-gers Franklin died suddenly of a heart attack inBuffalo. The children were devastated, especially 10-year-old Aretha. She later wrote: The pain of smallchildren losing their mother defies description. Avery private person by nature, Aretha would rarely

speak about the death of her mother in future years.After the death of Mrs. Franklin, housekeepers

and parishioners stepped in to help the family. BigMama watched over the brood, as did Mahalia Jack-son, when she would travel to Detroit, and ReverendFranklins friend Lola Moore. The family lived in alarge six-bedroom-house made of stone, and therewas always some activity going on. Aretha hasdescribed how Lola and the others would cook deli-

cious meals of soul food for the family, like collardgreens, ham hocks, sweet potatoes, and pigs feet.Thus began Arethas lifelong love of good cooking.

Within a few years Aretha began to notice youngmen. One in particular caught her eye, as well as herear. Aretha was so enamored with Sam Cooke, alsothe child of a minister, that she sometimes emulatedhis ways of singing and playing various church songs.

21LIFE IN THE CHURCH

Mahalia Jackson, one of

the most influential gospel

performers of all time, oftenhelped the Franklin family

following the death of Aretha's

mother, Barbara.


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Reverend Franklin noticed this and chastised hisdaughter, telling her to sing with her own innerbeing, instead of copying someone elses style.

In the days before he would become a pop star

singing such classics as You Send Me, AnotherSaturday Night, and Were Having a Party, SamCooke and his group, the Soul Stirrers, would appearat New Bethel performing gospel hymns like Touchthe Hem of His Garment and Jesus, Be a FenceAround Me. Cookes smooth voice and delivery andhis good looks impressed Aretha greatly, and shedeveloped a crush on the handsome crooner.

Sam Cooke was a powerful presence, but he wouldnot be Aretha Franklins first love. That honorbelonged to a neighborhood boy, a young man Arethawould identify in her autobiography only as Romeo.(She has never revealed his true name.) At the Arca-dia Roller Rink, a favorite hangout, 12-year-oldAretha and Romeo would spend hot summer nightsskating for hours listening to the early pop hits ofthe day.

When she was just 13 Aretha became pregnantwith Romeos child. In the 1950s teen pregnancies

were shocking and rare, and rarer still for the daugh-ter of a prominent Baptist pastor. But ReverendFranklin, though a strict father, was supportive whenhis daughter needed him the most. Some otherfathers have been known to put their daughters outof their homes, but not my dad, Aretha wrote in hermemoirs. He was not judgmental, narrow, or scold-ing. He simply talked about the responsibilities ofmotherhood. He was a realist, and he expected me to

face the reality of having a child.Although Romeo and Aretha talked about run-

ning away to get married, they never did. During hersixth month of pregnancy, the teenager dropped outof school. Just after turning 14, she gave birth to herson, Clarence, named after her father. To this daythe star remains philosophical and spiritual about

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the early motherhood that faced her in 1956: Allchildren are gifts from God. All children are mira-cles. . . . I accepted this blessing . . . The romanticrelationship that once burned so brightly burned

out. But the love between a mother and a child isforever. Big Mama and Arethas sister Erma helpedthe teen care for her infant and watched littleClarence when his mother needed time to herself.

At this time Reverend Franklins life was under-going changes of its own. The popular preacher wasgaining influence all across the United States, thanksto some sermons that had been aired on Detroit radiostations. The sermons had also been recorded by anindependent Chicago recording company called ChessRecords, home of some of the famous jazz and bluesartists of the 1950s, like Bo Diddley. The reverendbecame known as the man with the million-dollarvoice, and he began to tour with the popular gospelstars of the era. Religious folks far and wide would comeout to school and civic auditoriums to hear Franklinsfamous sermons, the most noteworthy among thembeing The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest. When C. L.decided to put together his own gospel tour featuring

music and sermons, he needed to look no further thanhis own home for one of his featured performers.

With Clarence in the capable hands of BigMama, Aretha set out on the tour with her father, inwhat would be her first professional experience. Bysinging before the reverends homilies with theGospel Caravan, Aretha whetted the appetites of theenthusiastic audiences, many of whom would soon beovercome by the Holy Spirit.

Gospel music is a uniquely American style of song,having grown out of the struggles of Southern slaves inthe 19th century. While working in cotton fields or atother labor, slaves would sing phrases back and forth toeach other and ask for the Lords help to survive thetough times ahead. Many blacks hoped for a betterfuture and freedom for themselves and the generations



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to come. Many gospel songs reflect this belief, refer-ring to a Promised Land that could be a UnitedStates where slaves were free, Heaven, or both.

Arethas comfort level as a musician continued to

improve, as she was inspired and influenced by an-other young minister, James Cleveland, who alsoplayed piano and sang. In 1956 Chess Recordsreleased Arethas first album, titled Songs of Faith, fea-turing live gospel standards from her performances onthe road and at New Bethel. Three of the songs onthat albumThere Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,The Day Is Past and Gone, and While the BloodRuns Warm are associated with my mentor, ClaraWard. She and Daddy remained my dominant influ-ences, Aretha later recalled. The album wasnt muchof a moneymaker, but it earned the Gospel Caravanextra publicity and introduced the reverends teenagedaughter as a church singer of note.

Traveling through the South around 1957 couldbe dangerous and dehumanizing for blacks, no matterhow respected or well-off they were in their own com-munities. Many public facilities and restaurants didnot serve African Americans. Driving eight or ten

hours trying to make a gig, and being hungry andpassing restaurants all along the road, and having togo off the road because youre blackthat had itseffect, Cecil Franklin would later recall. Meeting upwith other religious performers like the StaplesSingers on the road sometimes made things seem saferfor the Franklins.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s the civilrights movement was just beginning. Challenges to the

existing social system were often led by a young friendof Reverend Franklin, a minister named Martin LutherKing Jr. Reverend Franklin took the young King underhis wing and introduced him to many of the influentialcivic leaders and black people of Detroit.

Blacks all across the countrynot just in thelargely segregated Southwere increasingly demand-

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When Aretha saw gospel singer

Sam Cooke make a successfultransition to pop music, she

decided to explore the world

of popular music as well.

ing equal treatment and equal rights under the law,and the racial tensions that had simmered for yearswere about to boil over. Reverend King preachedabout nonviolent protest. Instead of using violence

to change the way things were, Martin Luther Kingand his growing number of supporters used boycottsand sit-ins to protest against the system.

Reverend King would often visit with theFranklins both on the road and at their spacioushome in Detroit. And every time King saw Aretha heasked her to sing one song in particular for him:Precious Lord, Take My Hand. It would long be acherished memory for Aretha.

Around 1956, Arethas idol Sam Cooke hadswitched from performing gospel to performing popmusic and in 1960 signed a contract with industrygiant RCA. Some strict Baptists were disturbed byCookes decision, viewing pop and its newly born sib-ling, rock and roll, as the devils music. However,Reverend Franklin was proud of Sam, and so wereAretha and Erma, who had become huge fans ofSams vocal stylings.

By the time she was 16, Aretha had fallen for

another young man she had met at the Arcadia RollerRink. (The intensely private Aretha has neverrevealed his name.) In time she was pregnant withher second child, Edward. Again, the reverend andthe entire Franklin family supported Ree.

As Reverend Franklins fame increased, theGospel Caravan made trips to more urban parts of thecountry, including Los Angeles, where they visitedSam Cooke at his new home.

Aretha was so impressed by Sam Cookes successthat she began giving deeper thought to her ownfuture musical prospects. She explained, Before myeighteenth birthday, the path ahead seemed clear:I would test the waters and venture forth into theworld of popular music. If Sam could make it, per-haps I could too.



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3

IN 1960 ARETHA Franklin and her father set outon their quest for secular, or nonreligious, stardom forthe 18-year-old. The preacher encouraged his daugh-ters growing interest in a pop music career, despite the

protests of some within the church community whofelt that Aretha was abandoning her gospel roots.

When fellow Detroit resident Berry Gordyexpressed interest in signing Ree to his newly bornlabel, Motown, both of the Franklins thought that alarger, more experienced label was the route to go.They headed to New York City, where Aretha even-tually rented an apartment.

One of the first things Aretha and C. L. Franklin

did was cut a demonstration record to circulateamong the record companies. With the assistance ofa Detroit bass player named Major Holley, and threeprofessional studio musicians who provided backup,Aretha performed old standards, including MyFunny Valentine, and newer compositions, likeToday I Sing the Blues.

Aretha acquired an agent by the name of Jo King,who was instrumental in getting the demo into the

hands of John Hammond, a producer at ColumbiaRecords, one of the largest national and interna-tional music labels at that time. Legend had it thatHammond, a member of the wealthy Vanderbilt fam-ily, had discovered jazz greats Billie Holiday andCount Basie during his tenure at the company.

27

THE COLUMBIA YEARS

During the 1960s, Aretha

stepped out from her home in

Detroit and headed east toNew York City, home to many

of the recording industry's

biggest labels.


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Jazz legend Billie Holidayperforms Fine and Mellow

onstage. Columbia Records

producer John Hammondreferred to Aretha as untutored

genius, the best natural singer

since Billie Holiday.

John Hammond described his reac-tion upon hearing the demo: One daya black composer arrived at my officewith a demonstration record of various

songs he had written. The fourth oneparticularly caught my ear. . . . It wascalled Today I Sing the Blues, and per-formed by a young woman who accom-panied herself on piano. . . . Her namewas Aretha Franklin, and even at firsthearing, on a poorly made demo intend-ed to sell songs rather than the singer,she was the most dynamic jazz voice Idencountered since Billie [Holiday].

Almost immediately Hammondoffered Aretha Franklin a recordingcontract with Columbia Records. Unbe-knownst to Aretha, Sam Cooke was alsotrying to recruit her for the record labelhe was signed to, RCA. While Daddyand I were talking to Columbia . . . Inever knew of Sams interest, she wrotein 1999. I have a feeling that if Sam

had caught up with me, I would havegone to RCA. But it wasnt meant tobe. Aretha signed the contract withColumbia.

John Hammond took care of all the arrangementsfor and produced the first album, which would even-tually be called Aretha. Working with some of thetop New York session musicians of the early 1960s,Aretha recorded the Judy Garland gem Over the

Rainbow, Today I Sing the Blues, Maybe Im aFool, Right Now, and other selections. Arethasang and played her heart out. . . . the resultingmasterpiece crossed the bridges between blues, jazz,pop, and gospel, wrote journalist David Nathanin The Soulful Divas. But the album was not a finan-cial success.

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Aretha continued to work on her poise, vocals,and choreography. As Big Mama and Erma lookedafter Clarence and Eddie back in Detroit, Arethafocused on her musical aspirations.

While old friend Smokey Robinson and his Mira-cles were churning out hits for themselves and otherMotown acts, Aretha steadily worked and recorded.But the hits were not coming, and she made littlemoney. Aretha remained optimistic, as she recalled,Personally, I was simply thrilled to have a contractwith a major company. I was also thrilled with thehigh level of musicianship surrounding me. Ham-mondand, for that matter, everyone I worked withat Columbiarecruited the best studio players andbackground singers around.

For a while, Aretha chose not to be concernedabout her hitless status. Instead she concentrated onher live shows. She performed night after night, butnot at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlemonlystars with hits performed there. Aretha made therounds of clubs in New York and other cities, includ-ing Philadelphia and Chicago.

Although Aretha was certainly not a household

name in the early 1960s, peopleincluding musiccriticswere starting to take notice of the youngblack woman with the bluesy, smokey, passionatevoice. She was starting to sing in a style that wouldbecome her hallmark, she noted: Looking back, I seethat I was . . . developing a vocal signature. It wasntsomething I did consciously. And it wasnt part of aplan. It was simply me.

While playing a succession of jazz clubs, Aretha

sometimes got the opportunity to tour with herfavorite male singer, Sam Cooke. Another time shemade the rounds of the rhythm and blues clubs(referred to as the chitlin circuit) with JackieWilson, a popular vocalist at the time and a friendof Vaughn and Cecil Franklin. Each tour requiredperformers to play 28 gigs in a row. Although the

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Aretha recorded covers of Trya Little Tenderness, the sweet

Jimmy Durante tune Make Some-one Happy, and If Ever I Would

Leave You from Camelot, one ofthe most popular Broadway musi-cals of the early 1960s. Her secondalbum was known as The Electrify-ing Aretha Franklin, but it did littleto spark sales.

In 1963 singer Dinah Washing-ton died of an accidental overdoseof alcohol and drugs. Soon after,Aretha was approached by Colum-bia and asked to record a tribute tothe late Queen of the Blues. Shequickly agreed and made the albumUnforgettable: A Tribute to DinahWashington, released the followingyear. Unforgettable was a minor suc-cess, but now is a prized collectorsitem for Aretha devotees.

The British Invasion first

struck around 1963 and 1964, withyoung rock and rollers like the Bea-tles and the Rolling Stones (whoboth claimed African-Americaninfluences) conquering America.But there was another musical movement also takingplace in the United States. With artists such as theSupremes, the Four Tops, and Mary Wells, Motownfounder Berry Gordy was spearheading a revolution

of his own.In the years Aretha had been recording for Colum-

bia, Gordys Detroit company, Motown Records, hadbegun filling a gap in the music world and makinghistory at the same time. As black people strove toobtain more freedom and opportunities throughoutthe country, they also cried out for more representa-tion in popular culture. Motown heard the call and


The success of Motown

acts like the Supremes led

Columbia Records to promote

Aretha Franklins work more

aggressively.


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answered back with popular hits like My Girl, YouBetter Shop Around, and Please Mr. Postman. AsGordys business slowly became an empire, the time

seemed right for Arethas career at Columbia to mirrorthose of her Motown counterparts.

Columbia executives decided to promote ArethaFranklin more aggressively and commercially afterthe release of the Unforgettable album. To that end,they hired Clyde Otis to produce Arethas nextalbum. Otis, who had also worked with Dinah Wash-ington, oversaw the production of another popularturntable single, Runnin Out of Fools, which

became a Top 60 single and the name of the album.Aretha also recorded a version of Mary Wellss MyGuy, written by family friend Smokey Robinson, buther version of the song went nowhere.

While Clyde Otis and Ted White tussled, Arethawas booked on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.She couldnt have been more thrilled, and therecouldnt have been a better remedy for her stalled

32 ARETHA FRANKLIN

An appearance on The EdSullivan Show, such as thisone by the Beatles, often

turned artists into starsovernight. It was very disap-

pointing to Aretha when her

scheduled appearance on the

show was called off.


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career. After appearing on Ed Sullivan, the most pop-ular variety show in the country for many years, newartists like Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and others hadbecome famous literally overnight.

Aretha was scheduled to sing the romantic balladSkylark and an up-tempo version of the hit songfrom Breakfast at Tiffanys, Moon River. However,there was a problem: someone at the show thoughtthat Arethas dress, a silk number with orange-goldbeads specially made by a Detroit designer, was toorevealing. Although Aretha did not agree, she none-theless changed into another gown that she hadbrought along. Then Aretha waited to be calledonstage. Minutes went by, and finally she wasapproached again by another show staffer who brokethe news: she would not be performing that nightafter all. The show had been overbooked. The dis-appointed Aretha left the studio in tears.

One good thing came out of the Ed Sullivan expe-rience. Aretha soon began to get bookings for otherpopular TV programs like Shindig and AmericanBandstand, two popular music showcases thatappealed to 1960s teenagers. Appearances on these

shows could only help her career.Meanwhile, back in Detroit, many changes were

taking place. The New Bethel Baptist Church build-ing had been torn down to make room for a highwayand the congregation had to relocate several times.Finally, the church was reestablished in an old the-ater building at the corners of Linwood and Philadel-phia Boulevards in the city. Rev. C. L. Franklinsinvolvement with the civil rights movement and

with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. increased. In 1963Franklin helped organize a march in Detroit withKing that became the model for a larger march heldin Washington, D.C., later that same year. Kingdelivered his historic and moving I Have a Dreamspeech in Detroit before delivering it in Washington.Aretha became more involved in the civil rightsstruggle as well, performing at fund-raisers.



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Aretha's road to stardom

received some early help from

appearances on television showssuch as American Bandstand,hosted by Dick Clark.

As Arethas star began to climb, she played theNewport Jazz Festival and the New York Jazz Festival,

sharing the stage with up-and-coming stars like Ikeand Tina Turner and veteran performers like DizzyGillespie. At the same time her father kept her feetfirmly on the ground. I would come home to visit,and I didnt feel like I should have to share the house-work . . . everyone would be working, washing dishesand vacuuming . . . and I would be standing around. .. . my dad came downstairs . . . and he said, See if youcan find your way in that kitchen and introduce your-

self to the trash, Aretha later recalled.In December 1964 Arethas father called her with

some sad news: Sam Cooke had been shot and killed.Aretha was devastated by the death of yet anothermusical mentor, one who had been a true friend andon whom she had one of her first childhood crushes.Aretha went berserk, recalled musician Teddy

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The sudden death of friend and

mentor Sam Cooke shocked

22-year-old Aretha. Cookesfuneral service drew many

prominent members of themusical community.

Harris, who had been playing a show with her inAtlanta the night Sam was killed. After all the

customers and employees had gone home from theclub, she made all the musicians in her group stay . . .and she played Sam Cookes music on the piano forfour hours.

Although Aretha remained relatively hitless,Columbia extended her contract, and she continuedto record albums, with titles like Aretha Sings theBlues and Sweet Bitter Love. She still garnered praisefrom critics, and disc jockeys played her singles, but

people were not buying them. By the mid-1960s,Aretha had become increasingly unhappy with thesituation. They know and they know that I knowthat they havent given me the same big buildupthat theyve given say Robert Goulet or BarbraStreisand, Aretha told Ebony in 1964.

It seemed like the time was right for a change.



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4

WORD SPREAD QUICKLY that ArethaFranklins contract at Columbia was coming up forrenewal and that she was not interested in stayingwith the label. In early 1966 Louise Bishop, a well-

known Philadelphia disc jockey and an acquaintanceof Arethas, called her friend Jerry Wexler in Alaba-ma to report the news.

At the time, Wexler, a producer at AtlanticRecords, was recording with artist Wilson Pickett inthe legendary blues town of Muscle Shoals. Afterhanging up the phone, Wexler, a longtime Arethafan from her Songs of Faith days, immediately set thewheels in motion to sign her.

I called Aretha that minute and set up a meetingin New York, Wexler wrote almost 30 years later.At a meeting with Aretha and husband/managerTed White, Jerry Wexler offered Aretha a $30,000signing bonus. Although she felt a bit cautious atfirst, she signed with Atlantic soon afterward. Withall the fine records I had made at Columbia, I wasntsure how I would like Atlantic, but I was wil-ling to try. I wanted a hit, and I wanted to be witha company that understood the current market. . . .

Right from the start, I felt good about thearrangement.

For one thing, Atlantic was relatively familiar toAretha. Many of her favorite R&B performers fromchildhood, including Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, and

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R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Aretha opens the second

session of the 1968 Democratic

National Convention bysinging the National Anthem.


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the Drifters, were Atlantic Records acts. Also, by1966, the first musicians to play soul music were get-ting noticedWilson Pickett, the Young Rascals,and Otis Redding, among others. It was a place

where Aretha felt she could make the records thatwould be true hitsthose that would sell.

Because Jerry Wexler was busy producing otherartists at the time, he offered Jim Stewart, an execu-tive at Atlantic subsidiary Stax Records, the chanceto produce Arethas recordings. Stewart declined,leaving Wexler in charge and keeping Aretha anAtlantic act, while her soul music contemporarieslike Sam & Dave and Otis Redding recorded on theStax label.

With the personal attention provided by JerryWexler, Aretha set about finding and writing songsto record for her Atlantic debut album. MeanwhileWexler made arrangements for her to record at FameStudios in Muscle Shoals, the same facility he usedfor Wilson Pickett.

Wexler has been widely quoted as saying that inthat part of the South he had found a wonder-ful rhythm section of white Alabama country boys

who took a left turn to the blues, the perfect back-ing section for his newly signed artist. While anoth-er musician played organ, Aretha played acousticpiano, something she hadnt done much of in herColumbia days. Indeed, Aretha later wrote thatputting me back on piano helped Aretha-ize thenew music.

Jerry Wexler agreed. I would never havedreamed of developing tracks without Aretha rooted

at the piano; thats what made her material organic.Shed find the key, devise the rhythm pattern, thenwork out the background vocals, a critical ingredient,with her sisters Carolyn and Erma and/or the SweetInspirations. The Sweet Inspirations were a gospelgroup led by Cissy Houston, mother of future starWhitney Houston, who also recorded with the likesof Elvis Presley.

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On January 24, 1967, recording on the albumbegan at Fame Studios. The first song to be recordedwas I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),an Aretha-penned tune and eventually the title of the

first Atlantic album. While many of the melodies,harmonies, and orchestrations had been worked outbefore the actual recording, there was still a sense ofspontaneity present in the studio as well. Aretharejoiced in the creative atmosphere, and it clearlyworked for her.

According to Jerry Wexler, the minute Arethatouched the piano and sang a note, the musicianswere awestruck. They raced for their instruments andcaught her fever. Ive never experienced so muchfeeling coming from one human being, said [drum-mer] Roger Hawkins. When she hit that first chord,we knew everything was going to be all right, com-mented another witness to Arethas soul-stirringperformance.

But everything was not all right. A disagreementbetween Ted White and a session player had turnedinto a heated argument and finally a physical alter-cation back at the musicians hotel. Aretha and her

husband ended up leaving Alabama the next day,with neither of them speaking a word about the cir-cumstances on the flight back to New York.

Arethas producer was in shock and in a panic.He possessed just one completed song from the his-toric session, I Never Loved a Man, and pieces of asecond song, Do Right WomanDo Right Man,which contained no piano playing or vocals fromAretha. Back in New York with only half of a single

record release available, Wexler distributed a fewcopies to some influential disc jockeys. They lovedthe finished song. All Wexler had to do was findAretha and fast.

This was no small challenge. Upon returning toNew York City, the Whites had broken up, andWexler could not get in contact with either of them.Within a few weeks, Aretha, back together with Ted,

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resurfaced and finished the recording of Do RightWoman in New York with the same studio musiciansfrom Muscle Shoals, except for the one who hadfought with Ted White. Things went very smoothly,

and Wexler involved engineer Tom Dowd andarranger Arif Marden, two men who would becomeincreasingly important in Arethas recording career.

The single of I Never Loved a Man with theflip side of Do Right Woman became Arethas firstmillion-selling record. It rose to number nine on thepop charts and number thirty-seven on the R&Bcharts. Aretha Franklin at last had a real hit.

But while that record was being played con-stantly on the radio and by fans on their turntables athome, Aretha was still busy working on I Never Loveda Man. The album would contain perhaps the mostimportant song of her career and the one that wouldbe forever identified with her.

Taking an Otis Redding ditty that had chartedfor him back in 1965 and infusing it with classicrhythms, sexy phrasing, and just plain soul, Aretharecorded Respect on Valentines Day 1967. Sheand Carolyn Franklin had come up with the line

Sock it to me, sung in rapid repetition toward themiddle of the song. The line Sock it to me becameeven more famous when it was regularly used on theTV comedy series Laugh-In.

Arethas recording of Respect took on anotheraspect of social significance, too, as the country cameto grips with the issues of civil rights for blacks andequal rights for women. The song became a rallyingcry for both groups.

Today, Respect is still Arethas most requestedsong in concert and the one that gets the greatestresponse. Released on April 16, 1967, the anthemshot to number one on both the pop and R&Bcharts. For two weeks Respect was the number onepop song in America. All told, the song spentan impressive 11 weeks in the Top 40. With the

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In addition to recording ses-

sions, live performances kept

Aretha busy. Aretha is seenhere with fellow musicians

King Curtis (left) and Joe Tex

after a concert in 1968.

release of Respect, Aretha Franklin became ahousehold name. Other hits on the album includedSave Me, cowritten by Carolyn Franklin, and theAretha and Ted White composition Dr. Feelgood(Love Is a Serious Business).

The recording industry took notice, too. Arethawas honored by the National Academy of RecordingArts and Sciences with two Grammy Awards forRespectone for Best Rhythm and Blues Record-ing and one for Best Rhythm and Blues Solo VocalPerformance, Female. Critics and magazines declaredAretha a star, and she won numerous accolades as theFemale Singer of the Year for 1967.

Aretha didnt rest on her laurels, though. Before

the year was out, Atlantic had released a secondalbum,Aretha Arrives, which showed a pensive Arethaon the cover and featured versions of earlier songs likethe Rolling Stones (I Cant Get No) Satisfactionand the R&B hit Baby I Love You. Carolyn andErma provided backing vocals, as did Arethas cousinBrenda Corbett and the Sweet Inspirations.

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High-profile live performances became part ofArethas daily life, as she made the rounds of show-cases like The Tonight Show and other entertainmentprograms. Although offers poured in from all over the

world, Aretha learned early on to be picky whenchoosing gigs. I agreed to select dates, insisting thatI would not abuse my voice or myself for anyone, apolicy I honor to this day, she said. She played theUptown Theater in Philadelphia, the Howard inChicago, and at long last the Apollo in New York, animportant milestone for any black entertainer.

In the meantime, the Vietnam War had grabbedthe attention of the entire nation. Arethas brotherVaughn Franklin, like so many other Americansoldiers, black and white, had gone to fight in the war.She received frequent letters from him as 1967 turnedinto 1968. In the years that followed the war, Arethawould often be approached by former soldiers whosaid they had found comfort in her familiar-soundingvoice while in the trenches half a world away.

In 1968 at Chicagos Regal Theater, a popularAfrican-American disc jockey named Pervis Spannliterally and figuratively crowned Aretha the Queen

of Soul. Looking svelte and sexy as photographerstook pictures, she wore a beautiful silver gown coveredwith tiny sequins for the occasion. When asked abouther long overdue success, Aretha replied, I neverthought it would happen! . . . Ive always wanted agold record. So badly. Well, Ive finally got some!

According to Jerry Wexler, The primary reasonsfor Arethas immediate, spectacular crossover successwere the beauty of her music and the absolute

integrity she displayed in creating it. Her roots wereintact, and in fact, it was the raw vitality, the honestyof her approach that won widespread acceptance.Musicians, critics, kids, adults, and everyone was wildfor Aretha. She was the hottest thing going.

But the times were not always smooth going. Inthis initial period, Aretha wasnt always easy,Wexler has said. On certain days shed sulk. Shed

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One of the most famoustheaters in New York,

Harlem's Apollo Theater hasalways been an importantvenue for musicians, and holds

a special place in the hearts

of many black entertainers.

arrive hours late or not at all. Heartache took its toll.Drinking could be a problem. But when she did show

up, she more than made up for all that.In February of 1968, after she had performed at

Detroits Cobo Hall, Mayor James Cavanaugh hon-ored the citys native daughter by proclaimingAretha Franklin Day. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.surprised his friend by attending the festivities andpresenting her with a special award from his civilrights organization, the Southern Christian Leader-ship Conference. Aretha was truly touched. The

moment would take on added significance when, justtwo months later, King was shot and killed. At Kingsfuneral in Atlanta, Aretha would sing one last timefor King the special hymn he had always requested,Precious Lord, Take My Hand.

If the previous year had been a whirlwind ofactivity, 1968 showed no sign of a respite. The first ofArethas three albums to be released that year, Lady

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Soul (which was also an honorary title forAretha), was released in January and con-tained two smash hits, Chain of Fools(the number two pop song for two weeks

in a row) and (You Make Me Feel Like)A Natural Woman, a song whose writersincluded Jerry Wexler and Carole King.Aretha continued working with theMuscle Shoals musicians and was alsojoined by Duane Allman, later a memberof the Allman Brothers Band, and EricClapton, then a member of the groupCream.

Less than six months later, anotherAretha Franklin album was unleashed ona willing public. Titled Aretha Now, thealbum was another huge success. Withher recording I Say a Little Prayer forYou, previously a hit for Dionne War-wick, Aretha scored again. The song wasa Top 10 hit and her seventh gold single.It also spent ten weeks in the Top 40.Think, a cautionary anthem about love

written by Ted White and his wife with arepeated chorus of Freedom, freedom,freedom . . . freedom, became a numberone R&B hit and did well on the popcharts too. And in tribute to the late

great Sam Cooke, Aretha recorded an impassionedversion of his hit You Send Me. Both Lady Soul andAretha Now were gold albums, selling in excess of500,000 copies each.

A third 1968 album,Aretha in Paris, was recordedon a tour that also included stops in Germany, Hol-land, and England. Released in October of that year,the recording gave an additional boost to Arethascareer. Cash Box, Billboard, and Record World maga-zines honored her with awards after the albumsrelease.

44 ARETHA FRANKLIN

Aretha performed the hymn

Precious Lord, Take My

Hand at the funeral for theReverend Martin Luther King

Jr. following his assassination

in 1968.


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Earlier in the year Aretha had been featured in aTime magazine cover story that discussed the soulmusic phenomenon. Aretha was not pleased with themagazines portrayal of her as a slave to the blues, like

her forerunners, Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday.Time also got the story wrong when it claimed thatArethas mother had abandoned the family. Foryears afterward, Aretha had a distrust for journaliststhat has only recently abated.

The Time article did get one thing correct, how-ever, when it hinted that there was trouble inArethas marriage. By the end of the 1960s, Arethaand Ted White were divorced, and he was replacedas her manager. White profited handsomely from themarriage, receiving half of the copyrights from thesongs that Aretha had recorded. Aretha was said tobe badly depressed over the final breakup with Ted,and she missed some scheduled shows, promptingrumors about her emotional and physical health.

With the monumental successes of 1967 and1968 behind her, Aretha Franklin had surely arrivedas one of the premier performers of soul music. Thequestion on everyones mind was, where would she go

from here?

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5

ONE DAY, a short time after her marriage toTed White ended, the Motown group the Tempta-tions showed up unannounced at Arethas front doorin Detroit. The members wanted to record some

songs with her. One of the better known Tempta-tions, Dennis Edwards, and Aretha were immediatelyattracted to each other. Despite her brother Cecilswarnings that Edwards was a bit too much of a ladiesman, Aretha encouraged the relationship. As iteventually turned out, the relationship with Edwardswas short-lived, but it helped her get used to lifeagain as a single woman.

In the late 1960s Aretha was invited by a group

of young, upwardly mobile black businessmen to jointhem in their investment firm. Calling themselvesthe New Breeders, the entrepreneurs designed andmanufactured a line of clothing and accessories inthe African tradition. One member of the group wasa slim man named Ken Cunningham, who was sepa-rated from his wife and the father of a young girl. Hehad a tall Afro and wore a dashiki, a traditionalAfrican garment.

Years later Aretha would recall their initial meet-ing as love at first sight. She would even sometimesrefer to Ken as her alter-ego, because of the waystheir personalities meshed. According to Aretha,

47

AMAZING GRACE

Aretha won her eighth Gram-my Award for her work on the

gospel recording AmazingGrace.


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meeting Wolf (as she nicknamed him) had manypositive effects: I blossomed under his strong sup-port. . . . Wolf even helped me change my approachto makeup. I stopped shaving my eyebrows and using

pencils and went back to a natural look with a muchlighter touch. I lost weight and wore my hair in anAfro; I began to appreciate myself as a beautiful blackwoman.

Back in the studio, Aretha recorded Soul 69, analbum largely made up of jazzy versions of some oldfavorite compositions. She recorded Today I Singthe Blues a second time (the first was for herColumbia debut), Tracks of My Tears by SmokeyRobinson, and Crazy He Calls Me.

In 1969 Aretha was elated to be asked to sing atthe Academy Awards. She brought along Ken, herwardrobe mistress, and her father for the occasion.After being introduced by Frank Sinatra, Aretha letloose with a masterful rendition of the song FunnyGirl, which had been nominated for an Oscar.

In January 1970 Atlantic released Arethas sev-enth album for the company, This Girls in Love withYou, which featured the title song, Son of a Preach-

er Man, and two Beatles songs, Let It Be andEleanor Rigby. While anyone would be hard-pressed to top the Beatles original versions of thesesongs, Aretha gave the group a run for its moneywith her gospel- and blues-tinged versions. Sheexplained how greatly she respected John Lennonand Paul McCartney as songwriters: The minute Iheard [Let It Be] . . . I loved it. Ditto for EleanorRigby. Early on I recognized the Beatles charm as

showmen and their talent as writers.This Girls in Love with You went gold, and the

song Share Your Love with Me went to the topposition on the R&B charts. Eleanor Rigby went tonumber five R&B, and The Weight a song origi-nated by the Band, was a number three R&B single.

In 1970, Aretha and Kens son was born. Theynamed him Kecalf (pronounced Kelf), which is

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an amalgam of the initials of theirnames: Ken E. Cunningham andAretha L. Franklin. Aretha andKen moved with Kecalf into a

large brownstone that they hadpurchased in New York City,while Arethas two oldest boys,Clarence and Eddie, stayed withBig Mama in Detroit. Ted Jr. livedwith his father and his fathersmother. Not long after, the boyscame to live with Aretha, Ken,and Kecalf in New York, wherethey were enrolled in a privateschool.

Ken became Arethas roadmanager, and Cecil Franklin, bythis time an assistant pastor at

New Bethel, joined his sistersmanagement team.

Aretha kept busy recording hersecond album of the new decade,Spirit in the Dark, for which she

wrote the title song. Upon therelease of the album, a music criticfrom the New York Times wrotethat he wondered if Aretha waseven capable of making a badalbum. Dont Play That Song,cowritten by Atlantic Recordsfounder Ahmet Ertegun, whomAretha greatly admired, was fea-

tured on the album and went to number one on theR&B charts and number eleven on the pop list.

In late July 1970 Aretha made another tour ofthe United Kingdom and was well received by heraudiences. While in England, Aretha also appearedon the TV show Top of the Pops, a showcase for thelatest acts and their hit songs, and sang Dont PlayThat Song.

49AMAZING GRACE

Aretha poses for a photo with

her son, Kecalf, who was bornin 1970.


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Aretha's exhilarating perfor-

mances helped to add to thegrowing excitement generated

by her music. She performs

here on a 1971 episode of thetelevision show Soul Train.

Aretha has noted that her per-formance at the Fillmore wasone of her career highlights.

In May 1971 Atlantic

released Live at Fillmore West,which soon became anothergold album, and Aretha wasawarded a Grammy Award forBest R&B Vocal Performance,Female, for her cover of BridgeOver Troubled Water. It washer sixth Grammy trophy in justfive years and her fourth in thiscategory. (For years, Aretha hadasked Jerry Wexler to go to theannual ceremony and acceptthe awards on her behalf. It was-nt until a few years after herbreakthrough that Arethabegan regularly attending theGrammys.)

In January 1972 Aretha released Young, Giftedand Black, an album that was a resounding critical,

commercial, and artistic success. The work symbol-ized how black Americans were feeling at the begin-ning of the 1970s: Their struggle was not over, butclearly some gains had been made. The death of Mar-tin Luther King Jr. had left its scars, but with the newdecade came new hopes and new dreams. It was theera of black pride, the era about which ReverendFranklin had long preached in his sermons.

Today Aretha calls the album one of her most

personal and perhaps most romantic. Critics andmusic fans called it one of the most original and cre-ative recorded works they had heard in a long time.Apparently Ken Cunninghams advice to Aretha tobe herself and to act naturally was working. She feltmore open to creative risks.

Young, Gifted and Black contained First Snow inKokomo, one of Arethas poems set to music; another

51AMAZING GRACE


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Beatles cover, The Long and Winding Road; thetitle tune (written and first recorded by performer

Nina Simone, whom many compared to Aretha inthe 1960s); and Arethas own Rock Steady.

The same month that Young, Gifted and Black wasreleased, Aretha lost another one of her mentors, andthe world of gospel music lost its pearl when Mahalia

Jackson died on January 27, 1972. Aretha and herfather attended the funeral at Chicagos McCormickPlace, along with 6,000 other mourners. Although

Jackson and Reverend Franklin had apparently hadtheir differences and grown apart over the years, theFranklins felt it was their duty to pay their respects tothe woman who had sometimes been a surrogatemother to the Franklin children. Aretha did oneother thing: she sang for Mahalia, just as she hadsung for Martin Luther King, Precious Lord, TakeMy Hand.

In an unusual way, Arethas hymn honoringMahalia Jackson coincided with what was to be hernext project. For years Jerry Wexler had been tryingto get Aretha to record a gospel album. Aretha hadrepeatedly declined, but in early 1972 the time finally

seemed right. Aretha reflected on how it felt to makeher recording in church: Its a feeling you get thereyou just dont get anywhere else.

Aretha has always steadfastly denied that she everleft the gospel community or her religion in general.[The album]Amazing Grace took me back to churchand to the King of Gospel, the Reverend JamesCleveland, Aretha recollected in her autobiography.When I say took me back to church, I mean record-

ing in church. I never left church. And never will.Church is as much a part of me as the air I breathe.I have heard people say that one singer or anothergave up gospel for pop. That is not my case. . . .I expanded, but I never abandoned [the church].

Over two incredible nights in January 1972 atLos Angeless New Temple Missionary BaptistChurch, Aretha, Rev. James Cleveland, and the

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The Reverend James Cleveland

worked with Aretha on the

1972 album Amazing Grace,which saw her return to her

gospel roots.

Southern California Community ChoircommittedAmazing Grace to tape. If anyof the people present once thoughtAretha had left the church behind, they

certainly welcomed her back with openarms that night.

Rev. C. L. Franklin told the congrega-tion that he was about to bust wide openwith the anticipation of hearing hisdaughter sing gospel music again. ArifMardin, who had worked on manyAtlantic albums with Aretha, said, It wasso incredible. Aretha got extremely emo-tional doing some of the songs and shehad to sit . . . and kind of reflect.

The finished album would contain aplethora of gospel classics, like Mary,Dont You Weep, Precious Lord, Take MyHand, Clara Wards signature hymn How I GotOver, and a 10-minute version of Amazing Grace.But Aretha also included such secular songs as CaroleKings Youve Got a Friend and Richard Rodgers andOscar Hammersteins Youll Never Walk Alone.

The album was an overwhelming success uponrelease and would eventually become the best-sellinggospel album of all time, with more than two millioncopies sold. The double-album was also Arethasbiggest seller.

The National Academy of Recording Arts andSciences awarded Aretha her eighth Grammy AwardforAmazing Grace. She also won her ninth Grammythat year, for Young, Gifted and Black, but Aretha

gave the award to fellow singer Esther Phillips, whohad also been nominated and was having personalproblems at the time.

Aretha has stood by her belief that all peopleblack or whiteshould be treated equally. Once, ata photo shoot for Vogue magazine, Aretha was un-happy to find that all of the models she was to bephotographed with were white. Aretha walked out,

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with Ken Cunningham in tow. It was the first timeshe had ever walked out on a photo shoot.

Before she embarked on a tour of the U.S. VirginIslands and Africa in the early 1970s Aretha told an

interviewer that her tour contract had an unusualstipulation: the audiences must either be fully inte-grated or black only. She refused to play for a segre-gated, all-white audience.

Back in the United States, Aretha recorded hertwelfth Atlantic album, Hey Now Hey (The OtherSide of the Sky), which was released in the summer of1973. The recording was produced by musicianQuincy Jones, but it did not reflect the Aretha thatthe public had grown to know and appreciate. Lesscommercial than her previous albums, it was notreceived well, but the single Angel, written by Car-olyn Franklin, became Arethas 13th number oneR&B single.

That same year Aretha lost yet another friendand inspiration. Clara Ward, Arethas most influen-tial female mentor, died at age 48. As was her cus-tom, Aretha performed at the funeral, this timesinging a song that Clara had once sung, The Day Is

Past and Gone.During the 1970s, when not in the recording stu-

dio, Aretha performed live in nightclubs, mostly inCalifornia and New York. She worked a variety of ele-ments into her shows, experimenting with costumesand choreography, and giving vocal impressions offellow artists Diana Ross and Gladys Knight. Whiletaking courses in ballet, Aretha found ways to workthose new skills into the concerts too. The response

was usually good.Whether or not her audiences liked her ever-

changing flamboyant stage costumes was a differentstory. Aretha took some ribbing for the outfits shepicked to wear in her live shows, but she claimed notto be bothered by the criticism. While political state-ments were of no interest to her, fashion statements

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were. And she was certainly saying something bywearing dashikis to photo sessions, sequined lavenderjumpsuits in concert, or a clown outfit complete withred nose while performing Thats Entertainment at

Radio City Music Hall in 1974.A song Stevie Wonder wrote for Aretha, Until

You Come Back to Me (Thats What Im Gonna Do)was a number three pop hit and was featured on her1974 release Let Me in Your Life. It was the first albumon which Aretha received a coproducer credit.

Having won another Grammy in 1973 for the songMaster of Eyes, Aretha was rewarded again the fol-lowing year. She took home the coveted award for herrecording of the Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simp-son classic Aint Nothing Like the Real Thing,which appeared on Let Me in Your Life.

In total, from 1967 to 1974, Aretha won a Gram-my for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female, eighttimesevery time she was nominated. However,Arethas future albums would be less commercial.And as Atlantic Records started to show more inter-est in rock music, it looked less and less likely thatAretha could continue her winning streak, with her

albums or her Grammy wins.

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6

WITH A SLUMP in her record sales becomingapparent in 1974, Aretha and Atlantic tried somenew approaches to her music. Most were unsuccess-ful. According to David Nathan, author of The Soul-

ful Divas and the journalist who has interviewedAretha more than any other, For better or worse,Aretha [became] much more involved with produc-ing her own albums, and she tended toward a certainvocal self-indulgence.

The follow-up to Let Me in Your Life, With Every-thing I Feel in Me, did nothing to pull Aretha out ofthe downturn her career seemed to be in. The collec-tion of songs failed to make the Top 40it was the

first time that had happened since Aretha signedwith Atlantic. Jerry Wexlers involvement hadsteadily declined, and Aretha looked to other writersand producers for fresh material.

Two young songwriters, Chuck Jackson (brotherof Franklin family friend Rev. Jesse Jackson) andMarvin Yancy, were interested in recording withLady Soul and offered her an array of songs to record.Although Aretha liked what she heard, she didnt

feel that the material was right for her. As a result,Jackson and Yancy brought some of the songs to anup-and-coming singer named Natalie Cole.

The daughter of famed musician Nat KingCole, Natalie was a relative newcomer to the musicindustry. She was looking for material to record on

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CHANGES

In addition to her live showsAretha appeared on TV spe-

cials throughout the 1970s. She

is seen here singing on a BobHope special in 1975.


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her debut album for Capitol Records. Two of thesongs first presented to Aretha, This Will Be, andIve Got Love on My Mind, were later recordedby Natalie Cole, and became hits. In interviews she

gave in the mid-1970s, Natalie Cole mentionedAretha as an influence, although she maintainedthat Chaka Kahn, lead singer of the band Rufus, washer real inspiration.

With Aretha in the first dry spell in her career,and with Natalie Cole being hailed by some in thepress as the successor to the Queen of Soul, the situa-tion looked ripe for a quarrel according to someindustry observers. When Aretha failed to win theBest R&B Vocal Performance Grammy in 1976, therumors of a bitter feud between the two womenbecame so common that Natalie addressed them inpublic. Aretha offered no comment at the time, butin her 1999 memoir felt the need to set the recordstraight. They say imitation is the sincerest form offlattery. In fact, when the Women of the Five Bor-oughs of New York honored me, [Natalie] sang forme. I sent her flowers and welcomed her into theindustry. But some industry magazines wanted to heat

up the issue and sell some magazines. Ree steadfastlyrefused to comment to the press, and in a while therumors died down.

But Aretha had another adversary to contendwith. A new form of music called disco was quicklysweeping the nation and was making stars out ofsingers Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor, and thegroup Village People. Disco was heard everywhere,and traditional rhythm and blues and soul artists

were getting less play as a result. It was the discoalbums that were selling, so it was the disco singlesthat got airplay.

After the disappointment of her fall 1975 release,You, which charted only one single, the Aretha-penned Mr. D.J. (5 for the D.J.), the staff atAtlantic sensed that it was time for another change

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Curtis Mayfield helped to com-pose and produce the sound-

track to the 1976 film

Sparkle. The album was ahuge success for both Mayfield

and Franklin.

for Aretha, who had once been theirpremier artist. Founder and cochair-man Ahmet Ertegun presentedAretha with a list of its most popular

producers to work with. She chosesoul icon Curtis Mayfield, the formerImpressions leader, who was at thattime composing and producingmovie soundtracks like Superfly.Mayfield, who was also steeped inthe gospel tradition, agreed to col-laborate with Aretha to produce andcompose the soundtrack for the filmSparkle. Presenting the story of afemale singing group attemptingto achieve stardom and make it outof the ghetto, the film starred IreneCara, who would go on to recordthe Oscar-winning themes to Fameand Flashdance. Aretha liked thestory idea of some young sisters, pos-sibly modeled after the Supremes,making their dreams come true

through music.Aretha traveled to Chicago in

January 1976 to record the songs Curtis Mayfield hadwritten for the film. Released the following May, thesoundtrack was a smash, and in time the albumwould become one of Arethas own favorites. Theurban-flavored tracks seemed to harken back toArethas Atlantic glory days. Look into Your Heartmade the R&B top 10, while Something He Can

Feel became number one on the same chart in thespring of 1976 and a Top 40 single too.

Meanwhile, Ken and Aretha were having somedifficulties in their relationship. He had made somecomments about Cecil Franklins handling of someof Arethas business affairs, and Aretha, always a de-fender of family members, took offense. Things were

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later smoothed over, but Aretha got to thinking aboutthe relationship. With exciting things happening onthe West Coast and their relationship in the doldrums,it seemed that a change might do them good.

In 1976, Aretha, Ken, and the children moved toEncino, in Californias San Fernando Valley, into ahouse next to the Walt Disney mansion. ThereClarence, Eddie, Teddy, and Kecalf made friendswith some of their neighbors, who included Michael

Jackson and his sister Janet.The move to California presented Aretha with

ample opportunities to heighten her profile after thewarm reception to Sparkle. She made appearances onthe most popular TV programs of the mid-1970s,including the Dinah Shore Show, Tonight Show, andHollywood Squares, as well as specials hosted by BobHope and Muhammad Ali. In 1976 Aretha was askedto cohost the Grammy Awards show, a fitting tributeto one of the most honored women in Grammy his-tory. The Queen of Soul made a warm and wittyappearance.

That same year Aretha was given an honorarydegree by Bethune-Cookman College in Jack-

sonville, Florida. This event was especially mean-ingful for Aretha, who had never graduated fromhigh school. She felt great satisfaction to be associ-ated with a college that had been founded by anAfrican American, Mary McLeod Bethune, in theearly 1900s, a time when it was unheard of for blackpeople to go to college.

In her spare time Aretha kept up with severalsoap operas that shed been watching for years, devel-

oped her interest in astrology, and watched andattended boxing matches with Ken (something shehad done with her father since she was a girl). Shealso designed a rose-lined walkway that led from thestreet to her front door and cultivated her gardens.

By the mid-1970s, a few years into her relationshipwith Ken Cunningham, Aretha had gained back someof the weight she lost after her divorce from Ted

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White. Although Aretha did not think her weight wasa problem, she was proved wrong while performing inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Becoming short of breathduring the concert, she knew a change in her habitswas in the offing. She contacted the New York Acade-my of Ballet and asked the school to recommend

someone she could work out with in the Los Angelesarea. Thereafter, Aretha made ballet classes a regularpart of her exercise regimen. She also tried several faddiets, losing about 40 pounds in four months.

At the beginning of 1977, things had come to ahead in Aretha and Kens disagreements over Cecilsbusiness skills, ultimately dooming the relationship.The fact that Ken preferred New York to Los Angeles

61CHANGES

In 1976 Bethune-Cookman

College, founded by educatorMary McLeod Bethune (front,

center), honored Aretha with

a degree.


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Glynn Turman, seen hererelaxing with Aretha, was

known in entertainment for his

performances in a variety of

films. The two were married inApril of 1978.

who it turned out was an actor namedGlynn Turman. Clarence broughtTurman to Arethas dressing room,where the two complimented each

others work and exchanged otherpleasantries and phone numbers.Soon they began dating and seeingeach other regularly.

Glynn Turman, also divorced,was a father of two boys and a girland lived fairly close to Aretha. Hehad acted in the films Cooley Highand Five on the Black Hand Side. Anactor who was very serious about hiscraft, Turman was also known for hisroles on the stage and for the actingclasses he taught.

While accompanying Glynn toTexas, where he was starring in aplay, Aretha was shocked when heproposed marriage. She accepted andbegan making preparations for a wed-ding very much unlike her first one.

Rev. C. L. Franklin would beofficiating at this wedding, the couple decided, andthey would wed at the New Bethel Baptist Churchin Detroit. The following day there would be areception in Beverly Hills for their famous friends.In addition, this time there would be a prenuptialagreement, stating that what each had earned beforethe marriage would remain that persons property.

Two days before Arethas 18th Atlantic album,

Almighty Fire, was released, she and Glynn married. Itwas April 11, 1978, and crowds of fans flocked to seeone of Detroits most famous daughters wed the Hol-lywood actor. The bride wore a silk gown lined inmink fur, covered with thousands of small pearls,which had an eight-foot train attached to it. She wasattended by eight bridesmaids, including her sister

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Erma, who was the maid of honor. Among Glynnseight groomsmen was the well-known actor LouisGossett Jr., who was the best man. The Four Topscrooned the Stevie Wonder song Isnt She Lovely

as Aretha entered the church, and Carolyn Franklinsang a song she had written for the occasion, I TakeThis Walk with Thee.

All of the Franklin and Turman families wereaccounted for, too, as were journalists and photogra-phers from national magazines clamoring for picturesof the happy couple as they left the New Bethel Bap-tist Church. Afterward, the dozens of guests celebratedby enjoying an eight-foot, four-tier wedding cake.

Although Arethas personal life was certainly onthe upswing, her career continued to flounder.Almighty Fire, which was her second project withCurtis Mayfield, stalled on the charts. A 1979 album,La Diva, was an even bigger disappointment. Onlyher live performances continued to inspire awe incritics and fans alike.

Aretha switched from ICM to the William MorrisAgency, one of the most prestigious and long-lived ofthe Hollywood management companies. She also

began to pursue other career options. AlthoughAhmet Ertegun (who was Arethas main contactsince Jerry Wexlers departure from Atlantic in the1970s) offered to renew her contract at his label,Aretha and Cecil looked at other labels too, espe-cially Arista Records. By 1976 much of Atlanticsstable of soul performers had left as the companyswitched its emphasis to rock acts; the holdouts at thispoint were Aretha, the Spinners, and Roberta Flack.

Arista was headed by Clive Davis, who had alsoworked at Columbia, Arethas first pop label. Aretha,an avid reader of industry magazines like Variety andBillboard, had noticed that some of the most success-ful artists of the late 1970s were Arista acts. Vocalistslike Melissa Manchester and Barry Manilow wereboth making huge hits under the promotional push

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Black Americans of Achievement - Aretha Franklin--Entertainer