This past Monday, I participated in the awesome “Aretha Franklin’s Amazing Grace: From Watts to Detroit” symposium at UCLA and I gave a short presentation about Aretha’s under-regarded Columbia years. I took that talk and turned it into this slideshow video above. Hope you all enjoy!
Thanks for posting this, Oliver. I admit, I’ve bought into that narrative and only have Arethea’s Atlantic albums, but perhaps I should branch out and get familiar with her Columbia period. Any thoughts on the “Every Day I Sing The Blues” album they put out after her Atlantic success, where they took vocals from some of her Columbia output and paired them with newly-recorded instrumental tracks, with an updated “soul” sound?
the bottom line… Columbia buttoned up a rock star. Atlantic let the rock star out……
moral of the story: don’t button up a rock star! thank buddha Jimi got free.
Took that talk? Man, Oliver Wang, you sound like C.L. Franklin!