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I’m seeing a lot of fictional stories about Aretha Franklin on the interwebs this morning.
Here’s the real story of how the Queen of Soul became the Queen of Opera on the 1998 Grammy Awards, held in New York at Radio City Music Hall.
Pierre Cossette was the producer of the Grammys from the beginning until his own end. Pierre invented the concept of interesting mash ups, presenting two or three artists together on stage whom you wouldn’t normally associate with each other.
That year, Pierre– was who brilliant in this regard and many others–came up with the idea to match Aretha with opera legend Luciano Pavarotti. They would sing Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” together. Aretha would sing the English part, Pavarotti, the Italian. It was a done deal.
I was very lucky to have been invited into the production truck parked on the side of Radio City. I was in there most of the night with Pierre, to write about what he went through on a Grammy night.
There are several misconceptions about what happened during that show. First of all, Pavarotti was not ill in any way. He was there, at Radio City, upstairs in his dressing room. He simply wouldn’t go on, as planned. No manner of cajoling or persuasion could make him come downstairs and sing. He just wasn’t into it. He was never “ailing.” He was just being petulant.
That was the call Pierre received. I was standing two feet from him when he got the call. “I have to go upstairs and convince Pavarotti to sing,” Pierre said, and he took off out the door.
Twenty minutes later, Pierre was back, and relieved. “Pavarotti won’t do it,” he said. “But Aretha can do the whole thing. She studied the Italian as well as the English!”
Indeed, as I discussed with Aretha many times over the years, she had rehearsed “Nessun Dorma” as Puccini had written it. Of course she had. Aretha, a student of classical music, who appreciated and understood it, would never have done less.
Pierre went to Sting, who was on the show, to ask a favor. The former Police front man went out on stage and basically made up a story. He said that Pavarotti was ill, was at home (somewhere), and couldn’t make tonight’s performance. Then he introduced Aretha.
Aretha’s solo performance of “Nessun Dorma” was thrilling, and so unexpected, the audience went wild. It literally changed her career. Ever since then “Nessun Dorma” was worked into her shows. She even sang it for the Pope when we went to Philadelphia in September 2016. His eyes were wide with delight as the orchestra swelled behind her.
Donald Trump remembered the great Aretha Franklin today as someone who “worked” for him. I don’t know who or what he’s talking about– and neither does he. She never, ever worked for him in any capacity. (Trump told a press pool this morning “I want to begin today by expressing my condolences to the family of a person I knew well. She worked for me on numerous occasions.”
More importantly, Aretha was very much against Trump’s policies and political platforms. She was against them so much that she stopped staying in the Trump International Hotel in Columbus Circle once he announced his presidential campaign.
The last time Aretha stayed at the Trump may have been Memorial Day, 2014. She cooked a Memorial Day barbeque in the two kitchens of her double suite for me, a few friends, her son Kecalf, and his two teenage kids. She sent the door man out to get the base for bbq sauce. It was so good that we joked she was going to market “Aretha’s Hot Sauce.”
After that, Aretha stopped staying at the Trump and moved to the Ritz Carlton, formerly the St. Moritz, on Central Park South. She made that her New York headquarters and threw several parties there. The Ritz Carlton loved her. Aretha was most certainly a supporter of Hillary Clinton, and not Donald Trump.
It’s been a tough day. But this news is gratifying.
Fans have put 18 singles and 17 albums by Aretha Franklin on the iTunes charts.
Aretha is currently holding down the top 4 positions on the singles charts. “Respect” is number 1.
On the album chart, she’s got many different albums including a greatest hits package at number 1 and her best selling gospel album, “Amazing Grace,” at number 5.
The top four singles include “Respect,” “Natural Woman,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and “Chain of Fools.”
Two of her finest, “Ain’t No Way” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” are also in the top 100. New fans should look for a great record from 1974 called “Without Love,” written by her sister Carolyn and covered two years later by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
Aretha’s favorite ballad was “Sweet Bitter Love,” which is also worth a listen.
Aretha Franklin had duet hits with George Michael and Annie Lennox later in her career. But she only played piano as a guest musician on one album.
The album was Sam Moore’s solo record called “Plenty Good Lovin.” It was made in 1972 by Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records. King Curtis was the producer. Aretha played piano.
For a variety of reasons, the album wasn’t released. It went into the Atlantic vault. When it finally was freed in 2000, “Plenty Good Lovin” received four star reviews everywhere.
Moore had a long friendship with the Franklin family. He was asked to sing at Aretha’s sister Erma’s funeral. Aretha and Sam were the last surviving members of the great Atlantic Records R&B family. They were huge admirers of each other. In 1983, Aretha won a Grammy for covering Sam & Dave’s “Hold On I’m Coming.” In 2006, Sam returned the favor when he covered “Don’t Play That Song for Me.”
They last saw each other at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, when Aretha wowed the audience with “Natural Woman.”
Today, Sam, who turns 83 in October, said: “Aretha Franklin and I have been friends and label mates for more than sixty years. I adored her and I know the feelings were mutual. While I’m heartbroken that she’s gone I know she’s in the Lord’s arms and she’s not in pain or suffering anymore from the damn cancer that took her away from us. I’m going to hope, pray and count on the fact that I will see her again sometime. Rest in the Lord’s arms in love, Re.”
Clive Davis has posted a message on Twitter about Aretha Franklin.
He wrote: “I’m absolutely devastated by Aretha’s passing. She was truly one of a kind. She was more than the Queen of Soul. She was a national treasure to be cherished by every generation throughout the world. Apart from our long professional relationship, Aretha was my friend. Her loss is deeply profound and my heart is full of sadness.”
In 1980, when Atlantic Records dropped Aretha after 13 glorious years, Davis swooped in and signed her to Arista Records. In short order, Arista re-established Aretha’s legacy with hits like “Jimmy Lee,” “Jump to It,” “Freeway of Love,” and so on. Their association turned into a 38 year friendship, a real relationship that spilled over to social events as well.
I am heartbroken to report that my friend, Aretha Franklin, a legend almost beyond description, has passed away in Detroit at age 76. The Queen of Soul been suffering from cancer since 2010 but refused to give in or give up. Her final performance was for Elton John at the 25th anniversary of his AIDS Foundation in November. Prior to that, her last public show was at Philadelphia’s Mann Center on August 26,2017. (I was lucky enough to go with her, watch a historic, off the charts performance.) She’d recently announced her retirement from touring, knowing that she was getting weaker. In last few months, Aretha had been living in a luxury condo in downtown Detroit, where she was attended to by friends and family. She’d had several recent hospitalizations, mostly for lack of hydration.
Aretha leaves four sons, several grandchildren, extended family members and many friends that were dear to her in Detroit and all over the world. She wrote an autobiography called “From these Roots” several years ago with writer David Ritz, who more recently turned against her and published a book she deplored. I am imploring media bookers and writers not to use Ritz or his book, “Respect,” as reference material.
Aretha was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Reverend CL Franklin and his wife Barbara on March 25, 1942. She was one of four children, all of whom are gone now. Her sisters were Irma and Carolyn, and there was a brother, Vaughn. The family relocated to Buffalo and then to Detroit where Reverend Franklin became a famous preacher at the New Bethel Baptist Church. *In Memphis, among the people he married were the great DJ and R&B star Rufus Thomas, and his wife.) It was there that Aretha began singing. Aretha’s mother, Barbara, left Reverend Franklin and died in 1952, just before Aretha’s 10th birthday. Aretha was raised after that by her father and a number of women including singer Mahalia Jackson.
When Aretha finally took off, she signed to Columbia Records in 1961 and stayed for five years. Her Columbia catalog showcased her as a great chanteuse, but mostly singing covers of standards and gospel songs. She left in 1966 for Atlantic Records where Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, and Arif Mardin would let her voice and songwriting flourish. In 1967 the floodgates opened, and out came Aretha’s dozens and dozens of hits from “Respect” to “Natural Woman,” plus songs that she wrote like “Daydreamin'” and “Rock Steady.”
Aretha would spend a miraculous decade at Atlantic. Her biggest hit album, ironically, was a gospel album released in 1973 called “Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky).” It was also the album she loved the most.
The rest of Aretha’s amazing career will be written about everywhere. In the late 70s she hooked up with Clive Davis at Arista Records, whom she had known at Columbia, and both of their lives were changed forever. She had a big run of hits on Arista from “Jump to It” and “Jimmy Lee” to “Freeway of Love” and solidified a lifelong friendship. Their last record together would be Aretha singing the great R&B hits of other divas. It was a great success, but almost not as big as her appearance on the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. She performed her 1968 hit “Natural Woman” for its writer, Carole King and it was the pinnacle of a stellar career.
The Kennedy Center show was broadcast on December 29, about three weeks after she’d taped it. By coincidence, Aretha had scheduled a show on New Years Day– January 1, 2016. I met her at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. When we went to the theater, the manager said to us, “I had to add three hundred seats. The show is suddenly sold out.” Everyone was very pleased, but we asked if something happened, the women replied, “They keep asking if she’s going to sing the song from the Kennedy Center show.”
Aretha and her entourage– security guards, friends, etc– all laughed. “Natural Woman,” Aretha said. “Of course, I think it’s like the fifth song. No big deal.” She turned to me and said, “Imagine that. I’ve been singing it for 50 years.” She shook her head in disbelief.
For a few years, the cancer was in abeyance. Aretha told no one anything– everything had to be surmised. She was extremely private. When the tabloids said he had pancreatic cancer, she refused to deny or acknowledge it. It wasn’t like everyone who knew her wasn’t concerned, but it didn’t matter. One time I asked her directly, Can you tell me what’s going on? She said, I’m sorry, I can’t. She wouldn’t. It wasn’t her way and we had to respect that.
Aretha burned through staff, administrative and musical. People came and went, and came back again. And went again. She was The Queen. But her legacy was of loyalty and friendship. If you needed her, she was there. She performed on stage tributes to both Whitney Houston and Natalie Cole, whom she mourned. She maintained a long friendship with Whitney’s mother, Cissy Houston, who was Aretha’s backup singer in the 60s and even on her final Letterman appearance in 2015.
The fact is, whatever her idiosyncrasies, Aretha Franklin was a genius. She wasn’t just gifted. She was very modest in this regard, but she was a superb musician whose gifts flowed through her fingers and her voice. She was funny, too. When she was well, she loved a good time. She loved the Broadway theater, and opera. Every summer she came to New York on vacation and took piano lessons with a Juilliard music school teacher. I think they learned more from her than she learned from them. But she boasted about learning better form as a musician.
In 1998, she was scheduled to perform Puccini’s “Nessum Dorma” with Luciano Pavarotti live on the Grammy Awards at Radio City Music Hall. I was in the production truck with producer Pierre Cossette when the call came. “Pavarotti refuses to come down and sing,” Pierre said. He took off to see Aretha in her dressing room. When he returned he said, “It’s all right. Aretha knows the Italian. She’s going to do the whole thing!”
And so she did– Aretha sang all of “Nessum Dorma,” it was utter magic, and the audience went wild. Already a superstar for 30 years, she was an overnight sensation. “Nessum Dorma” became part of her regular act, dropped into her show among “Respect” and “Jump to It.” An accident of caprice– Pavarotti deciding on a whim not to sing– changed her life. But the fact was, Aretha was ready. She had inner resources no one could imagine.
There will never be another Aretha, not as a singer, a person, or a symbol for Black America. Extraordinary doesn’t even begin to describe her impact on our culture or our politics. To do what she did– to become the greatest popular singer of all time– required exposing herself to the public when she didn’t want to, being tough and becoming press savvy (she knew how to manipulate the tabloids) and to retain her dignity when many wished against her. But Aretha’s super power– because she was a super hero long before Marvel or DC, a real Wonder Woman– was to know when to maintain her reserve, and fire away at the right moment.
What is Aretha’s musical legacy? Is it “Respect”? Is it “Nessum Dorma”? Is it the fiery gospel that propelled her life and supported her faith? It was all of it. As long as radio waves keep blowing across the world, we will never be without it.
Neil Burger’s excellent comedy, “The Upside,” has found a home. STX has partnered with the Weinstein Company’s assets buyer, Lantern, to release the film. No date has been set yet, but it feels like a March movie.
“The Upside” is the American version of the French hit “The Intouchables.” Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, Nicole Kidman, and Julianna Margulies star in this beautifully made comedy that has potential for a lot of business.
Harvey Weinstein released “The Intouchables” and kept the US rights. He came up with the plan to bring in Hart and Cranston, and certainly Kidman. The Weinstein Company screened “The Upside” in Toronto almost a year ago to a rapturous audience. The plan was an Oscar eligibility run in December and then open in February.
But literally three weeks after the standing ovations at Roy Thomson Hall, Weinstein’s world came crashing down. Within a month his company was gone. “The Upside” became a bankruptcy asset.
I really hope “The Upside” gets a great marketing plan and opening. The people who made it deserve that, and so does the film.
Raise your hand if you thought Jack Nicholson would never actually make the American version of “Toni Erdmann.”
Nicholson’s last film was in 2010, and it was a disaster. James L. Brooks’s “How Do You Know” just didn’t work, and Nicholson was lost. I’m sure he wanted to make more movies, but it’s not possible. He’s still a giant in Hollywood, but at 81, he’s human. He suffers from mental infelicity.
Now he’s officially out of “Toni Erdmann” and the charade is over. The movie will be directed by Lisa Cholodenko and co-star Kristen Wiig as the daughter. A new actor will be found to play the rambunctious father. Jack would have been a great choice ten years ago. Robin Williams would have been very, very good. The producers will find someone.
Jack Nicholson has won three Oscars. He has a resume of films to die for. He’s a legend. We love seeing him at Lakers games. God bless him. He doesn’t have to act anymore. We knew he was done in 2010 even if he didn’t. Gene Hackman retired a long time ago. Robert Redford just announced he’s giving up acting. These guys have given us cinematic gems for the movie canon.
Whether it’s “The Shining” or “Chinatown” or “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” or “About Schmidt”– or “Carbal Knowledge,” which holds up so well– Jack Nicholson is forever. Thank you, Jack.
Paul McCartney has sex on his mind at 76. Maybe that’s why he looks so youthful. His new single is called “Fuh You.” Yikes. A little different kind of stuff from the man who wrote “Eleanor Rigby.” Maybe he’s been listening to a lot of Kanye. Anyway. it’s damn catchy, because that’s McCartney! This is the third track he’s released in advance of “Egypt Station” coming September 7th.
Here’s the poster for Michael Moore’s new film “Fahrenheit 11/9.” He’s not pulling any punches, and you know exactly what this is about. It’s hoped there is a smoking gun, something that will explode in the news. The movie opens the Toronto Film Festival on September 6th.
Aretha Franklin had duet hits with George Michael and Annie Lennox later in her career. But she only played piano as a guest musician on one album.
I am heartbroken to report that my friend, Aretha Franklin, a legend almost beyond description, has passed away in Detroit at age 76. The Queen of Soul been suffering from cancer since 2010 but refused to give in or give up. Her final performance was for Elton John at the 25th anniversary of his AIDS Foundation in November. Prior to that, her last public show was at Philadelphia’s Mann Center on August 26,2017. (I was lucky enough to go with her, watch a historic, off the charts performance.) She’d recently announced her retirement from touring, knowing that she was getting weaker. In last few months, Aretha had been living in a luxury condo in downtown Detroit, where she was attended to by friends and family. She’d had several recent hospitalizations, mostly for lack of hydration.
