Aretha Franklin - Wonderful Woman No. 66

Aretha Franklin - Born 1942
America Singer, Songwriter, Musician and Political Activist

Added to the album by a wonderful man called Howie

(Things that are wonderful about Aretha Franklin) 1. her voice 2. her range 3. her voice 4. her songs 5. her voice.
Steve, A Wonderful Man

I make no apologies for the number of soul singers in the album. They all deserve to be here, to me and the other contributors to the album, they really have enriched our lives and made the world a more wonderful place.

Writing about the likes of Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone (Wonderful Woman No. 54 - http://iamawonderfulwoman.blogspot.com/2012/02/nina-simone-wonderful-woman-no-54.html), Erykah Badu (Wonderful Woman No. 45 - http://iamawonderfulwoman.blogspot.com/2012/02/erykah-badu-wonderful-woman-no-45.html) and so on, is not easy... capturing their greatness in words a seemingly impossible task. Part of me wants to say, just listen to their music, then you'll understand.

But I set about this task with good reason and so I should really write a little of what they have achieved that is so wondrous...

The Queen of Soul, master of blues, jazz, pop and good old fashioned gospel, an absolute powerhouse of a voice that is instantly recognisable. Aretha was the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1960, at the age of 18, Aretha released her first single. Her music career has spanned six decades and has provided us with some of the greatest soul anthems of all time, including Respect, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) and Think. She has released 38 studio albums, a further six live albums and yet more compilations, she continues to be one of the world's top selling artists.

The list of awards Aretha has received is endless and she is regarded within the music industry as a living legend. She has other artists queuing up to collaborate with her, to name but a few of those she has recorded with; George Michael, Curtis Mayfield, Annie Lennox (another wonderful woman) and Elton John.

Aretha has also appeared in a number of television shows and soul music films, including both Blues Brothers movies.

Aside from her music career, Aretha was strongly connected with the civil rights movement in the U.S.A. She was a close friend of Martin Luther King and was seen by many as an empowered black woman and her music became anthemic for those involved in the fight for change. Indeed, she received the honour of being personally asked by incoming president Barrack Obama, to perform at his inauguration ceremony which was a symbolic victory for a free America welcoming their first black president.

The voice of the civil rights movement, the voice of the black America.
Nikki Giovanni, Poet

Again, I worry that there is something wonderful that has gone unsaid or been understated... for some women words will never be enough for their wonderfulness.

If a song's about something I've experienced or that could've happened to me it's good. But if it's alien to me, I couldn't lend anything to it. Because that's what soul is all about.
Aretha Franklin