Aretha Franklin

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Activists Hit 'Fur-Hag' Aretha's Star

Activists dub celebs 'fur hags'

(Newser) - January has not been kind to the queen of soul. First Aretha Franklin was mocked for her ginormous inauguration hat, and now her Walk of Fame star has been vandalized, Perez Hilton reports. Anti-fur activists scrawled “Fur Hag” across her star in Hollywood after doing the same thing to...

Everyone Wants Aretha's Hat
 Everyone Wants 
 Aretha's Hat 
Jan 23, 2009 8:31 AM CST

Everyone Wants Aretha's Hat

(Newser) - Aretha Franklin’s inauguration hat has been mercilessly mocked by some, but lots of people want one of their very own. The Detroit millinery where Franklin has been a customer for 20 years has been flooded with calls for orders, the AP reports. But Aretha wannabes soon learn that the...

Aretha: World Will Be Dancing in the Streets

Diva fired up to give Obama R-E-S-P-E-C-T at biggest gig of her life

(Newser) - Aretha Franklin is psyched to sing to the biggest audience of her life in Washington today, she tells the Times of London. When she thinks of Obama she thinks of "jubilation all over the world," the Queen of Soul says. "Dancing in Africa, dancing in London, dancing...

Aretha, Rick Warren on Tap for Inauguration Day

John Williams will compose new music for Obama's landmark occasion

(Newser) - Aretha Franklin will participate in Barack Obama’s inauguration next month, the New York Times reports, with the Queen of Soul hitting the stage after evangelical leader Rick Warren gives the invocation. Obama has also commissioned composer John Williams to write a new piece of music for the ceremony—to...

Greatest Singer Ever: Aretha
 Greatest Singer Ever: Aretha 
Nov 13, 2008 10:18 AM CST

Greatest Singer Ever: Aretha

Poll of musicians, industry insiders choose Franklin as most worthy of R-E-S-P-E-C-T

(Newser) - Aretha Franklin isn't just the Queen of Soul, she's the greatest singer of all time, according to a new Rolling Stone poll of critics, musicians, and industry leaders. Her heavenly voice is "a gift from God," says Mary J. Blige. "Aretha has everything—the power, the technique,...

Divas Renew Royal Rumble
 Divas Renew Royal Rumble 
Oct 10, 2008 3:19 PM CDT

Divas Renew Royal Rumble

(Newser) - The Aretha Franklin-Tina Turner feud has taken another dissonant turn, USA Today reports. Beyoncé referred to Turner as "the queen" at the Grammy Awards—yes, that was 8 months ago—and Turner stirred things up again last week, saying: "There were so many kings and queens there...

Music Giant Jerry Wexler Dead at 91

(Newser) - Jerry Wexler, a music industry giant who coined the term "rhythm and blues" and worked to bring black popular music into the mainstream, died today at age 91, the New York Times reports. Wexler, a producer at Atlantic Records in its heyday, worked with new artists such as Aretha...

Duffy Latest to Give Motown a UK Twist

Welsh import, following Winehouse et al., makes US TV blitz this week

(Newser) - A 23-year-old Welsh singer is the latest in a wave of pop artists—female, British ones—to channel 1960s Motown, the Wall Street Journal reports. Duffy, who storms the US this week with TV talk-show appearances and a performance at the Apollo tonight, is already a hit across Europe, her...

Aretha Sings Foreclosure Blues
 Aretha Sings Foreclosure Blues 
Mar 13, 2008 2:05 PM CDT

Aretha Sings Foreclosure Blues

Lawyer's $445 tax mistake puts Franklin's Detroit pad at risk

(Newser) - Aretha Franklin’s mansion is in foreclosure after the Queen of Soul flubbed her taxes, TMZ.com reports. Franklin owes $19,192 in back taxes, but she says she’ll pay before the March 31 deadline. The singer faults her lawyer for a 2005 mistake over $445 in taxes and...

PETA Bristles at 'Cruel' Aretha
PETA Bristles at 'Cruel' Aretha
Feb 21, 2008 8:11 AM CST

PETA Bristles at 'Cruel' Aretha

Queen of Soul joins Eva Longoria, Lindsay Lohan on group's worst-dressed list

(Newser) - The Queen of Soul's fondness for fur means she isn't getting any R-E-S-P-E-C-T from PETA, Access Hollywood reports. Aretha Franklin has topped the animal rights organization's latest worst-dressed list after wearing a fur coat to the Grammys. "Music lovers may think of you as a 'queen,' but to...

Aretha to Beyonce: I Am Queen
Aretha to Beyonce: I Am Queen
Feb 13, 2008 8:12 AM CST

Aretha to Beyonce: I Am Queen

Queen of Soul slams 'cheap shot' at Grammys

(Newser) - R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Find out what it means, Beyonce. That's the message "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin fired off after baby-diva Beyonce introduced singer Tina Turner as "the queen" at the Grammys. Turner is sometimes called the queen of rock 'n' roll, but Franklin wasn't having it. "I am...

Sam Cooke Sang, and a Change Came
Sam Cooke Sang, and a Change Came
Dec 17, 2007 11:00 AM CST

Sam Cooke Sang, and a Change Came

Library of Congress enshrines late singer's protest anthem

(Newser) - Sam Cooke had his fair share of hits, but he didn't live to see the success of his masterpiece, the protest song “A Change is Gonna Come.” Now that it’s been enshrined at the Library of Congress, NPR takes a look at the civil rights anthem and...

Williams Sisters' Matches Kick Off US Open

First-round matches part of tribute to first black Grand Slam champion

(Newser) - When the US Open kicks off today, Serena and Venus Williams will play their first-round matches immediately following an opening tribute to the first black Grand Slam champion, Althea Gibson. The 50th anniversary of the first US Open title won by the "Jackie Robinson of tennis," who died...

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