At its roots, Fatback’s musical sensibilities lean heavily on funk and soul; a couple of pretty general terms that can conjure up many different ideas for many people. But on everyone’s Venn diagram, Aretha Franklin resides smack dab in the union of those two fantastic circles.
The daughter of a preacher man, she first gained fame as a rafter raising gospel singer in Detroit, before pointing her prodigious instrument toward the heights of the pop and R&B charts. (Her 1972 double platinum album Amazing Grace remains not only the best selling album of her career, but the best selling “pure gospel” album of all time.)
While she is best known throughout the galaxy for turning Otis Redding’s “Respect” into one of the most recognizable and best loved soul burners ever, Fatback fans know The Queen of Soul for her many contributions to the party. Here are a few favorites…
1964: Soulville
1967: Chain of Fools
1967: Save Me
1968: Think
1968: I Say A Little Prayer
1971: Rock Steady
1980: What A Fool Believes
1982: Jump To It
1983: Get It Right
1985: Freeway of Love
1986: Jumpin’ Jack Flash
You can bet your last money, that you’ll hear some of these and more at our 5 Year Anniversary and Grand Finale, February 16th at Liv.
(PRO TIP: Take a trip to your local record monger/mp3 retailer and pick up Aretha Franklin’s stunning 1971 album “Live at Fillmore West”, with King Curtis, Billy Preston and Ray Charles among the supporting personnel. She casts a brilliant spell over the crowd with a set consisting of her own music and covers of Stephen Stills, Diana Ross, the Beatles, and Simon and Garfunkel songs.)
