WASHINGTON 鈥� Each time she comes to the nation’s capital, world leaders stop in her wake, bowing before her unrivaled talent and immeasurable influence.
Over the years, the undisputed “Queen of Soul” has performed at聽the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter, received the聽National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton and accepted聽the聽Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush.
Now, Franklin returns to our area with a聽May 13聽concert at聽聽in Rockville, Maryland.
“Come on out D.C.!” Franklin tells 海角精品黑料.听“We’re gonna have a stompin’, rockin’, sockin’ good time.”
The聽18-time Grammy winner聽promises to聽play her hits: “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.,” “Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools,” “Gotta Find Me an Angel.” She’ll also perform聽tracks from her latest album, “Aretha Sings the Classic Divas,” including oldies聽like聽Gladys Knight’s “Midnight Train to Georgia” and Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman”聽and instant classics聽like Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and Alicia Keys’ “No One.”
“The concept came to me from Mr. Clive Davis, who is the Creative Officer now of R.C.A. records. (He) came to me with a list, I looked at the list, and I agreed with it wholeheartedly. I said, ‘Hey, I bought some of these songs! So I’d love to do a remake.'”
Franklin is no stranger to remakes. She may be the best to ever do it.听After all, it was she who took Otis Redding’s 1965 song聽“Respect” and reinvented it into her聽own 1967 masterpiece.
“Mr. Redding did it, and he did it a terrific聽job with it, and of course, mine was appreciated as well,” Franklin humbly says.听“I had a wonderful time doing that with my sister Carolyn. …聽She and I came up with the ‘sock it to me’ line. Then, ‘Laugh In,’ which was a huge TV show at the time, took ‘Sock it to Me’ and didn’t send us any royalties. Not a dime!”
The pop culture聽impact exploded on聽“Laugh In,” when then-presidential candidate聽Richard Nixon memorably聽聽“Sock it to meee?” on the show,聽helping soften his image enough to win the 1968 election, unlike his聽sweaty televised debate against John F. Kennedy聽in 1960.
“I’m gonna have to get in touch with his foundation about my royalties,” Franklin jokes about the late Nixon. “I’m only kidding! I am only kidding!”
Regardless of “sock it me,”聽the song’s true legacy exists as a聽proud women’s anthem.
“Where the songs may have started in one way, they evolved in other ways,” Franklin says. “And yes, they did become a mantra for women’s rights and I think it’s appropriately applied.”
In 1987, Franklin聽became聽the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, paving the way for others like Carole King, whom Franklin honored at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors.
“Women are fastly breaking the glass ceiling and聽I think we need it. It will give us a fresh, new perspective, and one that’s been untried,” Franklin says.
“Women are coming to the forefront of a lot of major positions. There was Ann Richards, governor out of Texas. Hillary Clinton running for president now. (In) Baltimore, you have a woman mayor there (Stephanie Rawlings-Blake).”
Speaking of Baltimore, Franklin spoke with 海角精品黑料 just as President Barack Obama聽addressed the Baltimore聽riots unfolding on聽television at the time of our interview.
“It is heartbreaking to see Baltimore in the condition that it’s in now,” says Franklin, who sang at the 1968 funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “I don’t know what all the facts are, so I won’t speak on it at this time. …聽Definitely my heart goes out to the city.”
Through the ongoing evolution of race and gender in America, Franklin takes heart in her faith.
If she had an iPod, she says it would be filled with the聽piano of Herbie Hancock and the vocals of Jennifer Hudson, but her roots will always lie in the聽gospel music of Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson, whom she calls “the big gospel artists of the day when I was coming up.”
“They聽came to our church many times, both ladies did. So we would have gospel programs after the Sunday morning service, and that is where I first heard Clara聽Ward,”聽Franklin says. “Gospel gives us so much. It just is a foundation for me. It’s my background, and it’s a guiding light.”
How would she like history to remember her?
“That I am a giving and caring person and an artist second. …聽I’m not after lights, camera, action. It’s important to do the right thing when nobody is looking. … Everybody wants a little RESPECT.”
For ticket information to the May 13 show, visit聽.听
Hear the full interview below:
