Aretha: From These Roots

Franklin, Aretha; Ritz, David

ISBN 10: 0375407952 ISBN 13: 9780375407956

Publisher: Random House Audio, 1999

Synopsis

4 cassettes / 6 hours
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Aretha Franklin's immense and unique alent has made her one of America's most popular singers for more than three decades.  She is the winner of seventeen Grammy Awards, more than any other female performer; she has recorded twenty-one number-one R&B hits, and eight top-ten pop hits; she was the first female performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and she was the recipient of the Grammy Legend Award in 1991, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1994, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994.

Now, Aretha reaches into her heart to reveal how she achieved the power to touch us all.  Aretha: From These Roots tells the story of her music-filled childhood in Detroit, at home and at the Mew Bethel Baptist Church, presided over by her father, the world-renowned Reverend C.L. Franklin; her early days of struggle as a singer; and her unprecedented, meteoric breakthrough success.  Aretha also offers special insights into the joys of motherhood, the challeneges of romance, and the faith, hard work, and inspiration that have taken her to the top of the charts and kept her there, at the pinnacle of American music.

Written in collaboration with award-winning author David Ritz, Aretha: From These Roots is an inspiring, heartbreaking, and altogether unforgettable memoir that is sure to be the most talked-about story of the year, and for years to come.  

About this title

About the Author

Aretha Franklin lives in Detroit, Michigan.  David Ritz, biographer of Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, B.B. King, Smokey Robinson, Etta James, and producer Jerry Wexler, is also a novelist and lyricist.  He lives in Los Angeles.

From the Inside Flap

/ 6 hours
Read by

Aretha Franklin's immense and unique alent has made her one of America's most popular singers for more than three decades. She is the winner of seventeen Grammy Awards, more than any other female performer; she has recorded twenty-one number-one R&B hits, and eight top-ten pop hits; she was the first female performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and she was the recipient of the Grammy Legend Award in 1991, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1994, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994.

Now, Aretha reaches into her heart to reveal how she achieved the power to touch us all. Aretha: From These Roots tells the story of her music-filled childhood in Detroit, at home and at the Mew Bethel Baptist Church, presided over by her father, the world-renowned Reverend C.L. Franklin; her early days of struggle as a singer; and her unprecedented, meteoric breakthrough success. Aretha also offers

Reviews

Aretha Franklin co-authors this chronicle that lets listeners peek into the life of one of the most influential female musicians of our day. Once a choir member in her father's Detroit church, Aretha went on to become the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The reedy-voiced Ann Duquesnay expertly portrays the struggles and victories Franklin faced along that path. There are moments when it sounds as though Duquesnay might even be imitating the velvety lilt we all recognize in Franklin's voice. This is just an added treat to Duquesnay's consistent and passionate delivery. R.A.P. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Most listeners will find this autobiography lacking in both sound and substance. Ann Duquesnay, an award-winning Broadway actress with a strong, beautiful voice, delivers Franklin's frequently self-congratulatory prose with a haughtiness that emphasizes the narcissistic nature of the work. Also, because Franklin is evasive about her personal history, this is more an annotated discography of her extraordinary career as a soul singer than a true biography. On the rare occasions when she does open up, the results are moving and the narration superb. For instance, the description of the events surrounding the tragic death of her father, the renowned Rev. C.L. Franklin, is quite powerful. With this work, Franklin and coauthor Ritz, veteran biographer of musical superstars including Ray Charles and B.B. King, will likely disappoint those hoping for a substantial examination of the life of the "Queen of Soul." For popular collections.
-Beth Farrell, Portage Cty. Dist. Lib., OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Audio
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0375407952
• ISBN 13: 9780375407956
• Binding: Audio Cassette