Learning about Aretha Franklin and her music is a multi-faceted journey. This site was conceptualized to explore her music, song-by-song. On this page you’ll find a number of ree-sources, if you will, that can help you further your knowledge, understanding, appreciation, and curiosities about Aretha Franklin and her music.
Articles & Interviews
Dreaming America by Danyel Smith (SPIN)
Soul Survivor by David Remnick (The New Yorker)
Aretha Franklin Still Rules, OK? by David Nathan (Blues & Soul)
The Fresh Air Interview with Terry Gross (NPR)
Aretha Franklin: Soul Of the Queen by James T. Jones IV (Vanity Fair)
Aretha Franklin In 2007: An Interview With The Queen Of Soul On Family, Sinatra And More by Steve Baltin (Forbes)
Aretha Franklin stops to think – a classic interview from the vaults by Norman Jopling (Record Mirror)
Aretha Franklin: A Natural Woman – Up Close and Personal by David Nathan (Blues & Soul)
Music: Lady Soul Singing It Like It Is – TIME Magazine
Books on Aretha
Aretha: From These Roots by Aretha Franklin & David Ritz
33 1/3: Amazing Grace by Aaron Cohen
I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You): Aretha Franklin, Respect, and the Making of a Soul Music Masterpiece by Matt Dobkin
Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin by David Ritz
The Queen of Soul by Mark Bego
Aretha Cool: The Intimate Portraits by Matthew Jordan Smith
The Queen Next Door: Aretha Franklin, an Intimate Portrait by Linda Solomon
Aretha: The Queen of Soul by Meredith Ochs
My Friend The Queen From Her Court Jester Raphe Armstrong by Ralphe Armstrong
Books Featuring Aretha
The Soulful Divas by David Nathan
American Diva by Deborah Paredez
Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul by Craig Werner
Black Resonance: Iconic Women Singers and African American Literature by Emily J. Lordi
The Fan Who Knew Too Much: Aretha Franklin, the Rise of Soap Opera, Children of the Gospel Church, and Other Meditations by Anthony J. Heilbut
Aretha Books for Kids
RESPECT: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul by Carole Boston Weatherford
Sing, Aretha, Sing! Aretha Franklin, “Respect,” and the Civil Rights Movement by Hanif Abdurragib
Who Was Aretha Franklin? by Nico Medina
Baby Aretha: A Book about Girl Power (Baby Rocker Series)
Obituaries, Reflections, and Celebrations of Life
‘Black People Will Be Free’: How Aretha Lived The Promise Of Detroit by dream hampton (NPR)
Aretha’s Bridge by Daphne A. Brooks (NPR)
Divine Diva: The Gays Who Shaped Aretha Franklin’s Gospel Soul by Craig Seymour (R&Being)
Aretha Franklin Had Power. Did We Truly Respect It? by Wesley Morris (NY Times)
The Queen: Aretha Franklin by Mikal Gilmore (Rolling Stone)
Aretha Franklin Was American’s Truest Voice by Ann Powers (NPR)
Aretha: The Life and Career of The Queen of Soul from Rolling Stone
Aretha Franklin’s voice was the sound of an America we’re still trying to become by Chris Richards (Washington Post)
How Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ became an anthem for civil rights and feminism by DeNeen L. Brown (Washington Post)
365 Days of Aretha Franklin 