On January 24, 1972, “Atlantic” label released “Young, Gifted and Black”, the nineteenth Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded August 1970 – February 1971, and was produced by Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin and Jerry Wexler. In 1972, the album won Aretha Franklin “Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance”. In 2003, the TV network “VH1” ranked it the 76th greatest album of all time.

Personnel:

• Aretha Franklin – lead vocals, acoustic piano, celesta, electric piano
• Don Arnone – acoustic guitar
• Cornell Dupree- guitar
• Hugh McCracken- guitar
• Donny Hathaway- organ, electric piano
• Billy Preston- organ
• Eric Gale- bass
• Chuck Rainey- bass
• Robert Popwell- bass, percussion
• Bernard “Pretty” Purdie- drums
• Al Jackson, Jr.- drums
• Ray Lucas – drums
• The Memphis Horns- horn section
• Andrew Love (of the Memphis Horns) – tenor saxophone
• Neal Rosengarden – trumpet, vibraphone
• Wayne Jackson (of the Memphis Horns) – trumpet
• Hubert Laws- flute
• Tom Dowd- horn arrangements
• Pat Smith – backing vocals
• Ronald Bright – backing vocals
• R. Bailey – backing vocals
• Carolyn Franklin- backing vocals
• Erma Franklin- backing vocals
• Margaret Branch – backing vocals
• Ann S. Clark – backing vocals
• The Sweet Inspirations- backing vocals
• Sammy Turner – backing vocals
• Stanislaw Zagorski – cover design
• David Nathan – liner notes

Track listing:

1. Oh Me Oh My (I’m a Fool for You Baby) – Jim Doris
2. Day Dreaming – Aretha Franklin
3. Rock Steady – Aretha Franklin
4. Young, Gifted and Black – Weldon Irvine, Nina Simone
5. All the King’s Horses – Aretha Franklin
6. A Brand New Me – Theresa Bell, Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble
7. April Fools – Burt Bacharach, Hal David
8. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long – Jerry Butler, Otis Redding
9. First Snow in Kokomo – Aretha Franklin
10. The Long and Winding Road – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
11. Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) – Thom Bell, William Hart
12. Border Song (Holy Moses) – Bernie Taupin, Elton John