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