Aretha Franklin
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In a New Interview, Smokey Robinson Says He Regrets Not Recording With Friend Aretha Franklin
They knew each other almost all their lives, but in the many decades that Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin shared a friendship and mutual admiration, they never made it into the studio to record. Anyone who heard the two briefly duet on The Miracles’ “Ooh, Baby, Baby” (penned by Smokey) on a 1979 episode of…
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Broadway Legend Ben Vereen Is Still Steppin’ Out With New Stage Gigs and Lee Daniels’ Star
Legendary song and dance man Ben Vereen is blessed, booked and busy. The award-winning showbiz vet has run the full gamut of the entertainment spectrum with a career spanning five decades. He has originated roles in the legendary Broadway musicals Jesus Christ Superstar and Pippin, recorded for Motown Records and portrayed memorable parts in…
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A Long-Awaited Aretha Doc Is Now Due for Release—But Is That What the Queen of Soul Wanted?
Try to sit through the two minutes and 38 seconds of the Amazing Grace trailer without getting the least bit emotional. We dare you. In fact, we’ll wait. It’s been less than three months since Aretha Franklin died, but now, a Sydney Pollack-directed documentary chronicling the recording of her seminal 1972 live gospel double album…
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Own a Piece of Music History: Items from Aretha Franklin’s Stage Wardrobe Are Going to Auction
A portion of music legend Aretha Franklin’s extensive wardrobe will be up for auction on Saturday, Nov. 10, at New York City’s Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. World-breaking auction house, Julien’s Auctions, which specializes in film, music, sports, and art auctions, will be selling more than 30 stage dresses and accessories worn by the…
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Fit for a Queen: Gladys Knight, Ledisi Among Singers Tapped to Honor Aretha Franklin at the American Music Awards
The Aretha Franklin tribute at this year’s American Music Awards will pay tribute to the Queen of Soul’s gospel roots. According to the AP, Dick clark productions will tap Gladys Knight and Ledisi to take on the iconic singer’s “Amazing Grace” album on Oct. 9, as will Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, and CeCe Winans. Rickey…
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6 Women, Endless Inspiration: Black Girls Rock! 2018 Reminds Us of Our Infinite Potential
“Tonight’s honorees represent our radiance and our royalty … Thank you all for showing the world how bright we shine and how hard we rock,” said Black Girls Rock! founder Beverly Bond, speaking to the audience at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center during the Black Girls Rock! Awards, which aired on BET on Sunday…
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Jasper Williams and the Stupidity of Respectability
There exists a piece of video with a quote I have been trying to find for years. I know it happened at the Reebok Grand Prix on May 31, 2008, because I was watching. I know the quote was made by sprinter Usain Bolt, who had just set a new world record. After the race,…
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It's Official: Aretha Franklin's Family Thought That Eulogy Was Just as Trash as You Did
In case you were wondering what Aretha Franklin’s family thought about the eulogy delivered by Rev. Jasper Williams Jr., wonder no more: they thought it was trash. On Monday, Vaughn Franklin, Aretha’s nephew, called the eulogy “offensive” and “very, very distasteful,” in a statement made on behalf of the family. “He spoke for 50 minutes…
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Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. Defends Eulogy He Delivered at Aretha Franklin's Funeral
Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. doesn’t have any regrets about his highly criticized eulogy delivered at Aretha Franklin’s funeral on Friday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “I know it’s controversial,” the Atlanta pastor said. “When you’re criticized as much as I’ve been, you don’t let it get to you. “I know where my heart and head are,…
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The 10 Best, Blackest, Messiest and Ugliest Moments From Aretha Franklin's Epic Marathon Homegoing
1. At 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon—a time which was already 30 minutes past the very optimistic target ending time on the agenda for Aretha Franklin’s homegoing—my wife and I left the house during Rev. Jesse Jackson’s speech to buy a mattress for a bed delivered to us the day before. When we returned two whole-ass…