Aretha Franklin

There was only one other singer in the same class, Aretha outlived the King of Soul by 35 years.

Marvin Gaye wrote his own lyrics and arrangements. Franklin was just a singer.
 
Marvin Gaye wrote his own lyrics and arrangements. Franklin was just a singer.

That's silly, it's like saying Frank Sinatra was just a singer. Otis Redding wrote her biggest hit but Aretha added the spelling.

 
Otis Redding died in a plane crash just as he was about to attain superstardom. Sitting On The Dock of The Bay was released posthumously.

 
Marvin Gaye wrote his own lyrics and arrangements. Franklin was just a singer.

Aretha wrote the lyrics to Think, Rock Steady and co-wrote Who's Zoomin Who? I'm sure she wrote other songs as well. But who cares. The woman could sing like nobody's business.
 
That's silly, it's like saying Frank Sinatra was just a singer. Otis Redding wrote her biggest hit but Aretha added the spelling.


She was a great singer. M Gaye was that, and a great artist. Not the same thing at all, and one should give credit to the many uber talented musicians, and song writers, who gave singers like Aretha, their platform.
 
 
She was a great singer. M Gaye was that, and a great artist. Not the same thing at all, and one should give credit to the many uber talented musicians, and song writers, who gave singers like Aretha, their platform.

Aretha was more than just a great singer. I really hope you're not trying to minimise her. In many ways SHE made those song writers works what they were. The evidence is in what others tried with those songs, which failed to evoke the same emotions!!

As one person said, she could sing the phone book (or was that alphabet?) and make it a damn masterpiece.

That voice man. Keep you guitars, pianos, drums all that. She needed none of that.

Singers like Aretha their platform. Pffft. Auto tune really has spoilt some people.
 
Aretha was more than just a great singer. I really hope you're not trying to minimise her. In many ways SHE made those song writers works what they were. The evidence is in what others tried with those songs, which failed to evoke the same emotions!!

As one person said, she could sing the phone book (or was that alphabet?) and make it a damn masterpiece.

That voice man. Keep you guitars, pianos, drums all that. She needed none of that.

Singers like Aretha their platform. Pffft. Auto tune really has spoilt some people.

No two people share the same musical tastes.
 
As Damon Wayans once said, " Well slap me around and call me Susan", I've just been informed that Norman Whitfield was never part of The Temptations. I've always ASSumed that he was. He started out collaborating with Marvin Gaye, when it came to I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Gaye changed the arrangement making it epic.

I stand corrupted:

 
To bad Aretha wont be around to watch Green Book. It will be released during American Thanksgiving, making an official premiere at TIFF.

I had to goggle it to know what I'm talking about. The Green Book refers to The Negro American Green Book, published for traveling blacks while Jim Crow laws applied. It stars Mahershala Ali who already has a much deserved Oscar for Moonlight and Viggo Mortensen who is due to get one.

Although I'm not certain, I believe Mahershala's character is based on William Grant Still.

 
No two people share the same musical tastes.

Not sure what this has to do with musical tastes. This is about the woman's voice being a treasure, almost one of a kind - one that inspiried a movement and could transform the most mediocre of songs into something wonderful.

She would move effortlessly between genres to boot. She also played piano (mostly self taught) and wrote a few songs. Yes, she mainly concentrating on honing her skills as a singer - the best one in any genre.

She wasn't just a singer.