CONCORD – When I was in the 8th grade I attended my first concert. A group of friends and I convinced one of our teachers at Monroe Avenue to drive us to Charlotte to hear Aretha Franklin at the Old Charlotte Coliseum on Independence Blvd.
I loved Aretha’s music! Buying her 45’s in downtown Hamlet is well-remembered, but seeing her in person play the piano and feeling her songs wash over me is a time in my life I will never forget.
Her vocal roots began in her father’s church singing gospel. When she was eighteen she branched out to sing jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, disco and rock. She could sing anything, and for over six decades she did.
She was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She is ranked first among female vocalists with the most Billboard chart hits during the rock era (1955–2012) with a total of 88 according to Joel Whitburn’s Record Research.
Many top musicians, including Elton John, Mariah Carey, and Rod Stewart, have sung duets with her; their voices elevated to new heights by blending their sound with hers.
“Respect” became her signature song and is her anthem for civil rights and the women’s movement.
She serenaded President Barack Obama with “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” at his inauguration in 2009.
On Thanksgiving Day, 2016, she sang “The National Anthem” prior to the game between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. She sang for over five minutes. I was moved to tears.
A tribute concert, Clive Davis Presents: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin, has been planned and is set for November 14 at Madison Square Garden.
The Queen of Soul died on August 16 at the age of 76. The soul of her music will live on forever.
