Aretha Franklin (1942–2018)

Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin by David Ritz is definitely atypical reading for me, though I have read Lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings and Simon and Garfunkel: Old Friends : A Dual Biography
by Joseph Morella and Patricia Barey. What makes it atypical is that though I like her music, I did not own a single album of hers prior to my starting to read this book. I purchased Amazing Grace, described by the author as "probably the best gospel album ever."

Aretha Franklin came to my attention on AM "Top 40" radio with her 1970 fairly minor hit "Don't Play That Song For Me." Later I came to listen to airplay of "Respect", the song after which this book is named, and her brilliant though overplayed cover of Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Her cover turned a folk ballad, essentially, into a gospel song. I barely heard her music until the late 1980's, I think 1988, with her hit "Freeway of Love."

The book is definitely not a hagiography, as many of this mold tend to be. Other Goodreads commentators consider the book to be harshly critical of her. I do not find this, at all, to be the case. I find it a candid and thorough biography, making clear that she is a giant in her genius and contribution to the world of music, while not always perfectly consistent. But who's is? Some people consider the coverage of her life virtual scandal-mongering. To my mind, she comes out quite a bit better than other popular musicians and show business types.

The author, David Ritz, was engaged as her collaborator for an autobiograpy. That autobiography came out in 1999, as Aretha: From These Roots by Aretha Franklin and David Ritz. David Ritz had, in fact, withdrawn as a collaborator when Aretha edited out the non-hagiographic personal materials. What remains is a frank portrait of her life that is, on balance, quite complimentary. The book is not the fairy-tale the subject would have preferred. But those who have a serious interest in an important historical figure and star should read the book, an easy "five stars."… (altro)

FROM AMAZON: Her soulful, soaring voice has earned her mythic status. Now, in her own moving words, the woman behind the myth is revealed. The result is a captivating self-portrait of one of this century's most fascinating artists, an Aretha Franklin as real as the songs she sings.

For the first time anywhere, Aretha tells her story--the glorious triumphs as well as the heartbreaking pain. With refreshing candor, Aretha tells it like it is, the way she sees it, the way she lived it.

A child prodigy of the golden age of gospel, the daughter of a world-famous preacher, Aretha was the anointed successor to Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward. But her father had a broader vision and helped Aretha enter the field of pop and jazz. By age eighteen, she was under contract to Columbia Records. Six years later, after only a few minor hits, she switched to Atlantic, where she shook the musical world to its roots. Her song "Respect" became the anthem of an epoch, a touchstone for African Americans, for women, for all people struggling to be free. Aretha became the Queen of Soul, the genre's finest interpreter since Ray Charles.… (altro)

1 Aretha Franklin– Satisfaction
2 Otis Redding– Day Tripper
3 Howard Tate– Girl Of The North Country
4 Otis Clay– She’s About A Mover
5 Jimmy Ruffin– 96 Tears
6 Jr. Walker & The All Stars*– These Eyes
7 Bobby Womack– California Dreamin’
8 Four Tops– Walk Away Renee
9 Percy Sledge– Kind Woman
10 Ike & Tina Turner– Proud Mary
11 Wilson Pickett– Mama Told Me Not To Come
12 Al Green– How Can You Mend A Brokern Heart
13 Aretha Franklin– The Weight
14 The Isley Brothers– Summer Breeze (Part 1)
15 Earth, Wind & Fire– Got To Get You Into My Life
16 Pointer Sisters– Fire
17 The Staple Singers– Slippery People
18 Run-D.M.C.*– Walk This Way… (altro)

1 Chain Of Fools
Written-By – D. Covay*
2:44
2 I Say A Little Prayer
Written-By – Bacharach, David*
3:28
3 (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
Written-By – King*, Goffin*, Wexler*
2:39
4 Think
Written-By – Franklin*, White*
2:17
5 Rock Steady
Written-By – Franklin*
3:12
6 Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)
Written-By – Paul*, Broadnax*, Wonder*
3:29
7 Respect
Written-By – O. Redding*
2:27
8 Spanish Harlem
Written-By – Leiber*, Spector*
3:30
9 Dr. Feelgood
Written-By – Franklin*, White*
3:15
10 Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
Written-By – Moman*, Penn*
3:12
11 I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
Written-By – R. Shannon*
2:41
12 Save Me
Written-By – A. Franklin*, C. Franklin*, Ousley*
2:20… (altro)