R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Hard to imagine a voice so big and so powerful being silenced forever. Alas, even though her vocal abilities seemed other worldly, or even godlike, Aretha Louise Franklin was indeed as mortal as the rest of us. As expected, the tributes and news coverage have been extensive. One of the clips that has been shown over and over again was Aretha’s powerhouse performance of “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman” at the Kennedy Center Honors for Carole King. I was fortunate enough to watch that original broadcast back in 2015 and remember being as blown away as everyone in that theater. I can’t imagine anyone being able to watch that performance and not be moved in some profound way. If you can, you probably need to see a physician. Aretha was, of course, known as The Queen of Soul. But to me, her reign extended far beyond that single genre. She was THE Queen. Period.