Aretha has been ill for a while, and has passed at 76.
R.I.P. to the Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin
- Thread starter Ar-Pharazon
- Start date
When Frank Sinatra died I heard some commentators on the radio discussing the man and his music. They played a bit of one of his songs, "You make me feel so young" I think it was, and it dawned on me that NOTHING that anybody could SAY about him would speak so eloquently as the music itself. As it was then with The Chairman of the Board, so it is now with The Queen of Soul.
Rest in peace. Glad you were here.
Best vocalist ever, nothing but respect for her and decades' worth of incredible, timeless music! A very tragic loss, indeed. 
Had no clue she also did acting. That clip blew me away with her acting ability (she and Akroyd steal the show in that clip, but - wow. Easily makes her a "triple threat" (singer, songwriter, actor))
Had no clue she also did acting. That clip blew me away with her acting ability (she and Akroyd steal the show in that clip, but - wow. Easily makes her a "triple threat" (singer, songwriter, actor))
Best vocalist ever, nothing but respect for her and decades' worth of incredible, timeless music! A very tragic loss, indeed.
Had no clue she also did acting. That clip blew me away with her acting ability (she and Akroyd steal the show in that clip, but - wow. Easily makes her a "triple threat" (singer, songwriter, actor))
Unfortunately, Aretha was only in one other movie, Blues Brothers 2000 and one episode of a TV show called Room 222. She definitely had the talent to do more acting, but she was a serious singer/songwriter.
Being in the Blues Brothers was a no brainer though. Lots of other talented musicians appeared in those movies.
RIP Aretha...
The greatest singer of the rock era. Aretha was so utterly steeped in gospel and blues, that she was able to easily handle jazz, rock, pop, soul, r&b, and even classical music. Now, throw on top of that, her prodigious vocal talent and ability as a musician and it's clear that calling her the best singer of the rock era is no exaggeration. With the possible exception of Sam Cook, there has never been a more versatile singer than Aretha.
I had heard and loved Otis Redding's original rendition of Respect and thought 'no one does it better than Otis'. But after hearing Aretha's version I was forced to admit that hers was actually better, a lot better. She set a standard that forced everyone else to live up to, especially women singers. She did the same thing with other musical and vocal styles. Dionne Warwick was the most impeccable pop singer of her generation, but Aretha got a hold of "Say a Little Prayer", and turned that song inside out. Today, hardly anyone remembers who, or if, anyone sang it before her.
In the mid sixties the music that came out of Motown dominated r&b charts and black top 40 radio. But most middle aged and older black people thought of that music as "bubblegum" music, music for kids. Aretha was one of the very few artists able to bridge the generational gap in the black community back then. She wasn't just loved by younger and older black people, she was also respected as an artist by both groups. In this way, strangely, her affect on the black community had some similarities to the Beatles' affect on the population at large.
Years ago, I came close to a fist fight with a friend of mine during a discussion about music, when he said that he thought Diana Ross was a better singer than Aretha Franklin. We didn't, only because my wife and his girlfriend were present. But over the years, I have never thought of that conversation without regretting that I didn't kick Kenny's ass that night -- dumb motherfucker.
Rest in eternal peace, Your Majesty.
I had heard and loved Otis Redding's original rendition of Respect and thought 'no one does it better than Otis'. But after hearing Aretha's version I was forced to admit that hers was actually better, a lot better. She set a standard that forced everyone else to live up to, especially women singers. She did the same thing with other musical and vocal styles. Dionne Warwick was the most impeccable pop singer of her generation, but Aretha got a hold of "Say a Little Prayer", and turned that song inside out. Today, hardly anyone remembers who, or if, anyone sang it before her.
In the mid sixties the music that came out of Motown dominated r&b charts and black top 40 radio. But most middle aged and older black people thought of that music as "bubblegum" music, music for kids. Aretha was one of the very few artists able to bridge the generational gap in the black community back then. She wasn't just loved by younger and older black people, she was also respected as an artist by both groups. In this way, strangely, her affect on the black community had some similarities to the Beatles' affect on the population at large.
Years ago, I came close to a fist fight with a friend of mine during a discussion about music, when he said that he thought Diana Ross was a better singer than Aretha Franklin. We didn't, only because my wife and his girlfriend were present. But over the years, I have never thought of that conversation without regretting that I didn't kick Kenny's ass that night -- dumb motherfucker.
Rest in eternal peace, Your Majesty.
