Tag Archives: Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin: Through the Storm

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On April 27, 1989, “Arista” label released “Through the Storm”, the thirty-second Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded in 1988, and was produced by Narada Michael Walden, Walter Afanasieff, Arif Mardin, Joe Mardin and Aretha Franklin.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin– lead and backing vocals, piano, vocal engineer
  • James Brown – lead vocals
  • Elton John– lead vocals
  • Four Tops– lead and backing vocals
  • Whitney Houston– lead vocals
  • Corrado Rustici – guitar, rhythm guitar
  • Steve Khan– guitar
  • Reggie Griffin – guitar
  • David Paich– piano
  • David Foster– piano, Fender Rhodes, synthesizer
  • Walter Afanasieff– keyboards, synthesizer, programming
  • Aaron Zigman– keyboards, bass vocals
  • Ren Klyce– additional keyboards, programming
  • Robbie Kondor – synthesizer, piano
  • Louis Johnson– bass guitar
  • Jerry Knight – bass guitar
  • Jeff Porcaro– drums
  • John Robinson– drums
  • Yogi Horton– drums
  • Sammy Merendino – electronic drums
  • Narada Michael Walden– electronic drums, sequencer, synthesizer, arrangements
  • Steve Kroon – percussion
  • George Devens – percussion
  • Greg Gigi Gonaway– cymbal
  • Kenny G– saxophone
  • Marc Russo– saxophone
  • Andy Snitzer – tenor saxophone
  • Kenneth Hitchcock – baritone saxophone
  • Kent Smith – trumpet
  • Chris Botti– trumpet
  • Mike Davis – trombone
  • Liz Jackson – backing vocals
  • Skyler Jett – backing vocals
  • Melisa Kary – backing vocals
  • Brenda Corbett – backing vocals
  • Edie Lehman – backing vocals
  • Marti McCall – backing vocals
  • Claytoven Richardson– backing vocals
  • Kitty Beethoven – backing vocals
  • Margaret Branch – backing vocals
  • Siedah Garrett– backing vocals
  • “Bongo” Bob Smith – programming
  • Arif Mardin– arrangements
  • Rod Hui – recording, mixing
  • Mike Lacopelli – recording, vocal recording
  • Lincoln Clapp – engineer
  • David Frazer – engineer
  • Darren Klein – engineer, mixing
  • Joe Mardin– programming, sequencer, recording, mixing
  • Peter Max – front and back cover art
  • Marlene Cohen – art direction
  • Norman Parkinson – photography

Track listing:

  1. Gimme Your Love – Narada Michael Walden, Jeffrey Cohen
  2. Mercy – Siedah Garrett, Glen Ballard
  3. He’s the Boy – Aretha Franklin
  4. It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be – Albert Hammond, Diane Warren
  5. Through the Storm – Albert Hammond, Diane Warren
  6. Think (1989) – Aretha Franklin, Ted White
  7. Come to Me – Willard Eugene Price
  8. If Ever a Love There Was – Pamela Phillips Oland, Todd Cerney

Aretha Franklin: Almighty Fire

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On April 13, 1978, “Atlantic” label released “Almighty Fire”, the twenty-fourth Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded January – March 1978, at “Curtom Studios” in Chicago, IL, “ABC Recording Studios” in Los Angeles, CA, “Whitney Recording Studios” in Glendale, CA, and was produced by Curtis Mayfield.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin – vocals, cover art concept
  • Curtis Mayfield– guitar
  • Gary Thompson – guitar
  • Joseph “Lucky” Scott – bass guitar
  • Donnell Hagan – drums
  • Henry Gibson– congas
  • Rich Tufo – keyboards, arrangements
  • Alfonzo Surrett – backing vocals
  • Mattie Butler – backing vocals
  • Ricki Linton – backing vocals
  • Denese Heard and the Jones Girls– backing vocals
  • Lenard Druss – horns contractor
  • Sol Bobrov – strings contractor
  • Roger Anfinsen, Fred Breitberg – engineer
  • Roger Anfinsen – remix
  • Dennis King – mastering

Track listing:

All tracks by Curtis Mayfield, except where noted.

  1. Almighty Fire (Woman of the Future)
  2. Lady, Lady
  3. More Than Just a Joy
  4. Keep On Loving You
  5. I Needed You Baby
  6. Close to You
  7. No Matter Who You Love
  8. This You Can Believe
  9. I’m Your Speed – Aretha Franklin, Glynn Turman

 

Aretha Franklin: The Electrifying Aretha Franklin

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On March 19, 1962, “Columbia” label released “The Electrifying Aretha Franklin”, the second Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded July – December 1961, January 1962, at “Columbia Recording Studios” in New York City, and was produced by John H. Hammond.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin– vocals, piano
  • John H. Hammond– personal supervisor
  • Richard Wess – arrangements

Track listing:

  1. You Made Me Love You – Joe McCarthy, James Vincent Monaco
  2. I Told You So – John Leslie McFarland
  3. Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody – Sam M. Lewis, Jean Schwartz, Joe Young
  4. Nobody Like You – James Cleveland
  5. Exactly Like You – Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields
  6. It’s So Heartbreakin’ – John Leslie McFarland
  7. Rough Lover – John Leslie McFarland
  8. Blue Holiday – Willie Denson, Luther Dixon
  9. Just for You – Bailey, John Leslie McFarland
  10. That Lucky Old Sun(Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) – Haven Gillespie, Harry Beasley Smith
  11. I Surrender, Dear – Harry Barris, Gordon Clifford
  12. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive – Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer

Aretha Franklin: Soul 69

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On January 17, 1969, “Atlantic” label released “Soul ’69”, the fourteen Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded April 17–18 and September 24, 1968, at “Atlantic Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Tom Dowd and Jerry Wexler.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin – vocals, piano
  • Kenny Burrell– guitar
  • Jimmy Johnson– guitar
  • Junior Mance– piano
  • Spooner Oldham– organ
  • Joe Zawinul– organ, piano, Fender Rhodes
  • Ron Carter– bass guitar
  • Jerry Jemmott– bass guitar
  • Tommy Cogbill– bass guitar
  • Bruno Carr – drums
  • Roger Hawkins– drums
  • Grady Tate– drums
  • Jack Jennings – vibraphone
  • Louie Goicdecha, Manuel Gonzales – percussion
  • David Newman– tenor saxophone, flute
  • King Curtis, Seldon Powell– tenor saxophone
  • George Dorsey, Frank Wess– alto saxophone
  • Pepper Adams– baritone saxophone
  • Joe Newman, Bernie Glow, Richard Williams, Snook Young,  Ernie Royal– trumpet
  • Jimmy Cleveland, Urbie Green, Benny Powell, Thomas Mitchell – trombone
  • Evelyn Greene, Wyline Ivy – backing vocals
  • Arif Mardin – arrangements

Track listing:

  1. Ramblin’ – Big Maybelle
  2. Today I Sing the Blues – Curtis Reginald Lewis
  3. River’s Invitation – Percy Mayfield
  4. Pitiful – Rosie Marie McCoy, Charlie Singleton
  5. Crazy He Calls Me – Bob Russell, Carl Sigman
  6. Bring It On Home to Me – Sam Cooke
  7. Tracks of My Tears – Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin
  8. If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody – Rudy Clark
  9. Gentle on My Mind – John Hartford
  10. So Long – Russ Morgan, Remus Harris, Irving Melsher
  11. I’ll Never Be Free – Bennie Benjamin, George David Weiss
  12. Elusive Butterfly – Bob Lind

Aretha Franklin: This Girl’s In Love With You

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On January 15, 1970, “Atlantic” label released “This Girl’s in Love with You”, the sixteenth Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded January 8 – 9, and October 3, 1969, and was produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin– vocals, piano
  • Duane Allman– guitar
  • Jimmy Johnson– guitar
  • Jerry Weaver – guitar
  • Eddie Hinton– guitar
  • Barry Beckett– keyboards
  • David Hood– bass
  • Roger Hawkins– drums
  • King Curtis– tenor saxophone, horns
  • Robert Honablue – engineer

Track listing:

  1. Son of a Preacher Man – John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins
  2. Share Your Love with Me – Al Braggs, Deadric Malone
  3. The Dark End of the Street – Chips Moman, Dan Penn
  4. Let It Be – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
  5. Eleanor Rigby – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
  6. This Girl’s in Love with You – Burt Bacharach,  Hal David
  7. It Ain’t Fair – Ronnie Miller
  8. The Weight – Robbie Robertson
  9. Call Me – Aretha Franklin
  10. Sit Down and Cry – Clyde Otis, Lou Stallman

Aretha Franklin: one Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

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On December 29, 1987, “Arista” label released “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism” is Aretha Franklin gospel album. It was recorded July 27, 28 and 30, at “New Bethel Baptist Church” in Detroit, Michigan, and was produced by Aretha Franklin.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin– vocals, arranger, liner notes
  • Michael Wright – guitar
  • Nick Johnson – piano
  • Thomas Whitfield- organ, piano, arranger, vocal arrangement
  • Earl Wright Jr. – organ
  • Lanar Brantley – bass
  • Mavis Staples– vocals
  • Brenda Corbett – vocals
  • Carolyn Franklin– vocals
  • Erma Franklin– vocals
  • Reverend Jesse Jackson- speaker
  • Reverend Cecil Franklin – speaker
  • Ortheia Barnes – backing vocals
  • Renee Thomas – backing vocals
  • Sandra Feva – backing vocals
  • Margaret Branch – backing vocals
  • Dana Davis – percussion
  • Joe Ligon – arranger
  • Frank Fischer – house mix
  • Brian Leskowicz, David Hewitt, Phil Gitomer, Fritz Lange – engineer
  • Michael Lacopelli – mixing
  • Mark Wilder – mastering
  • Maude Gilman – design
  • John Hudson – product manager

Track listing:

  1. Walk In The Light – traditional
  2. Prayer Invocation by Rev. Cecil Franklin
  3. Introduction of Aretha and the Franklin Sisters by Rev. Jesse Jackson
  4. Jesus Hears Every Prayer – Clara Ward
  5. Surely God Is Able – Clara Ward
  6. The Lord’s Prayer – traditional
  7. Introduction of Aretha and Mavis Staples by Rev. Jesse Jackson
  8. Oh Happy Day- Edwin Hawkins
  9. We Need Power – traditional
  10. Speech by Rev. Jesse Jackson
  11. Ave Maria- traditional
  12. Introduction To Higher Ground by Rev. Jaspar Williams
  13. Higher Ground – traditional
  14. Higher Ground (continued)
  15. Prayer Invocation by Rev. Donald Parsons
  16. I’ve Been In The Storm Too Long – traditional
  17. Packing Up, Getting Ready To Go – Clara Ward

Arif Mardin

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On June 25, 2006, Arif Mardin died aged 74. He was music arranger and producer, worked at Atlantic Records for over 30 years, before moving to EMI. Mardin worked with many famous artists including Aretha Franklin, Queen, Anita Baker, Dionne Warwick, Bette Midler, Roberta Flack, Wilson Pickett, Average White Band, The Bee Gees, Chaka Khan, Laura Nyro, Hall & Oates, Phil Collins, Barbra Streisand and Norah Jones.  Mardin won eleven “Grammy Awards”.

Wayne Jackson

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On June 21, 2016, Wayne Lamar Jackson died aged 74. He was musician (trumpet, trombone, French horn). song writer and producer, playing trumpet in the “Stax Records” house band The Mar – Keys, but best known as co-founder, together with Andrew Love, and member of The Memphis Horns, regarded as  “arguably the greatest soul horn section ever”. Jackson and Love played together on 52 No. 1 songs, and recorded and toured with many famous names, including Elvis Presley, Otis Reding, Neil Diamond, Aretha Franklin, The Doobie Brothers, Al Green, Dusty Springfield, Jimmy Buffet, Robert Cray, Sam & Dave and many others. In 2012, the Memphis Horns received a “Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award” for outstanding artistic significance in music.

Rick Hall

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On January 2, 2018, Roe Erister “Rick” Hall died aged 85. He was musician (guitar, mandolin) , music producer, songwriter, music publisher, best known as the owner and proprietor of “FAME Studios” in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He had recorded and promoted names like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Duane Allman, Etta James, Osmonds, Paul Anka and Tom Jones. In 1985, Hall was inducted into the “Alabama Music Hall of Fame”, received the “John Herbert Orr Pioneer Award”, and In 2014, he won the “Grammy Trustees Award”.