Before Aretha Franklin signed with Atlantic Records and gained worldwide ‘Respect’ for being a ‘Natural Woman’, she recorded a string of albums for Columbia Records.
Aretha was just 19 when the legendary auteur John Hammond (who ‘discovered’ Billie Holliday and Bob Dylan) began grooming her for stardom. Many of the period’s best producers, arrangers and conductors came on board to work with Aretha, including Robert Mersey (Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams) and Richard Wess (Bobby Darin).
With a voice that was matured way beyond her years, Hammond decided that the future Queen of Soul record material tailored for an adult audience, so naturally they turned to the Great American Songbook.It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway) that at the top of the Aretha’s song list was Jimmy McHugh’s Where Are You.
Click the link below to enjoy the results:
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