Respect the Life of Aretha Franklin
In 1964 there were several genres of music that had pop hits. Then Aretha recorded "Take A Look" - a message song. What was the song about?
A self-confrontational examination into the dark heart of mankind.
How did the shooting of Aretha's father affect her life?
She put her career on hold and put all her efforts to her father's recovery.
Who was Mr. Mystique?
James Brown, her lover in the sixties that went through to the eighties.
When Aretha signed with Atlantic Records she recorded down in Muscle Shoals, Al how was it different from her previous recordings?
She didn't want to work with white people, but once they started playing she realized they were all about the music.
What do you think NY Times music critic Stephen Holden meant by "The singer (Aretha Franklin) has long aspired to a Las Vegas style of showmanship that seriously undermines at what she does best..."
She has appealed to the masses and she hid who she really is.
What caused Aretha's nervous breakdown in the summer of 1970?
She just separated with ted white and emotional stress from relationships.
After C.L. Franklin died why did Aretha retreat to West Bloomfield, Mi and how did she continue her recording career?
She moved back because she didn't want to leave Detroit anymore due to a fear of flying.
Why was the 1980s the last decade to see the music business prosper from sales of manufactured product at brick-and-mortar stores?
The introduction of compact discs.
What year did Aretha move with her family to Detroit?
1947
How did Luther Vandross (musician/composer/producer) categorize the music of the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties?
60s- Political Awareness 70s- Liberation 80s- Materialism
How did Jet magazine play a major factor in Aretha's career?
Affected her positively.
In 1956 as Aretha's career starts to grow what was the daunting personal issue she had to deal with?
Being a mother at 13.
Who was Ruth Bowen and what was her relationship to Aretha?
Booking Agent and her closest business associate.
Who said "...all good music came from God."?
C.L. Franklin
What did B.B. King mean when he said "...he never called our music devilish."
He was probably the only Reverends that never judged people for listening to the blues.
Who was Ted White and why was he known as the "Gentleman Pimp?"
Her Husband who pimped her out for her music. He was well dressed, educated, and cultured.
When and where did Aretha start displaying her amazing musical talent to people?
Her father's traveling ministry.
Who encouraged Aretha to move from Detroit to NYC and pursue her career there?
Her father, Sam Cook, and Barry Gordy
Did Aretha grow up with her mother or father and how did it affect Aretha's life?
Her father. Introduced her to music early due to his lifestyle.
What was Aretha's reaction to being put on the cover of TIME magazine and the accompanying article?
It turned out to be a tremendous embarrassment that took her years to get over
Why was Aretha upset with Steely Dan's hit song "Hey Nineteen.?"
It was about an older man hitting on a younger woman and it hit close to home for her.
On January 13-14, 1972 Aretha recorded her best selling album of all time "Amazing Grace." Describe the recording and why was it so successful?
It was her healing. It resonated in her voice. Her main mentors, James Cleveland was there, her father and Clara Ward was there. The person who mattered the most were in the front row (her father) , her musical mother was seated next to him. She got to be a producer
What were some of the major differences between these two famous gospel singers Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward?
Jackson represented the dignity of gospel music and performed only in churches. Ward was a performer who traveled.
Aretha started her career off first with singing gospel music; what genre did she record next?
Jazz and Blues
What song did Paul McCartney and John Lennon write for Aretha, that she ended up not recording and why?
Let it Be. The religious implications were incompatible with her Baptist background.
What is the name of the song that is Aretha's signature song, when was it released and who wrote it?
Respect, 1965 by Otis Redding
What happened in Detroit on July 23, 1967 that effected all who lived in Detroit for the next fifty years?
Riots in Detroit
What did Nat Hentoff, one of America's leading jazz critics think of Aretha?
Said she could do anything.
What was Aretha's attitude about Disco?
She didn't like it. She saw it as a passing fad and a superficial form. She thought it lacked soul.
What was Aretha's attitude when her sister Carol signed with RCA in 1969?
She didn't want competition.
Curtis Mayfield co-produced Aretha's album "Almighty Fire" in 1978 and it flopped. Why was it a flop among critics and the public?
She sounded detached and uninterested.
Aretha's concert at the Fillmore West was a success but she reservations about singing there, why?
She was enamored of the alternative-cultured crowd. She was afraid she didn't belong there.
The singer Carmen McRae described Aretha's career rather succinctly. What did she say?
When she heard "Freeway", she knew Aretha was moving in the direction of money.
