There will never be another Aretha Franklin … and that’s perhaps as it should be. She was one ‘for the ages’ – and we were lucky to have lived during her amazing career, to have experienced that pure exultation of hearing ‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T’ for the first time. And to hear it still – for the hundredth time, and still be moved by its pure power. ‘The Queen of Soul’ left her own mark on our souls. She surely left her mark on music history, with over 7 dozen charting pop and R&B hits, over 75 million worldwide sales, and the ultimate salute – ranked #1 by Rolling Stone magazine – as ‘The Greatest Singer of All Time’. Aretha was also the first woman inducted to the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame – a trailblazer in so many ways.
Please join me for a salute to a queen this Sunday (26th), when I’ll play you several of her classics and some surprises too. Afterward, I’ll have a big birthday spotlight on Shania Twain and Canadian folk legend Valdy.