re: RIP Aretha

The story goes that when she and her Father first showed up at Muscle Shoals to record her first Atlantic release, her Father (who was her Manager at the time), took one look into the studio full of white musicians and told her to go get back in the car.....they were headed back to Memphis.

Rick Hall was able to convince him to at least give them a try, so he relented and let her go back in the studio. The first song they did that day was "I Never Loved A Man" and her Father quickly figured out that these corn fed, country boys could absolutely lay down some serious R&B tracks.

She had been signed with Columbia and in my opinion, they didn't really did not know what to do with her. They had her recording in New York with all these lush strings. Once signed to Atlantic, they paired her with Jerry Wexler and the rest is history. The album also contained RESPECT, Baby, Baby, Baby and Do Right Women, Do Right Man. Pretty damned solid.