Aretha 101: Celebrating the Queen of Soul
Overview
June 13, 2022, 4:00 pmAretha Franklinโs voice was a gift from God, so it’s appropriate that she grew up singing in her father’s church. Her talent was too great to be kept secret, so as a young woman, she was signed to Columbia Records by John Hammond. What could go wrong? Hammond was the force behind Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, Benny Goodman and — eventually — Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Butย lotsย went wrong. Aretha Franklin’s recordings for industry giant Columbia Records were …ย OK. After her five-year contract expired, Jerry Wexler pounced. Wexler was with independent label Atlantic Records. He had the genius idea of taking Aretha Franklin south, to a small studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. On an afternoon in 1966, her direction — and the direction of popular music — was forever changed. And then Aretha disappeared.
Discussion Questions:
1.)ย ย ย ย How did Jerry Wexler succeed with Aretha Franklin and why did John Hammond fail?
2.)ย ย ย ย What was the key element in the Muscle Shoals studio that made Franklin comfortable?