Aretha Franklin Still Wears the Queen's Crown

As far as music royalty goes, there is only one true queen. And it is Aretha Franklin. Multiple Grammy winner, Grammy Lifetime Achievement winner, Kennedy Center honoree, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, only the second woman inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame and Mojo's magazine's choice for greatest singer of all time, the list of her accomplishments is enough to fill an encyclopedia.

Maybe the truest testament to Franklin's unchallenged reign as music's monarch can be found on her latest collection, 'Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets With the Queen of Soul.' Here Franklin displays the love and adoration she receives from her peers in a series of duets, recorded over her career, featuring the likes of Frank Sinatra, George Benson, Keith Richards, George Michael, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey, as well as two newly recorded tracks, with Fantasia and John Legend.

At the same time as 'Jewels' hit stores, a retrospective, 'Rare & Unreleased Recordings From the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul,' is showcasing material from the late '60s and early '70s, when she won an unprecedented eight consecutive Grammys for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Spinner spoke to Franklin, who was at her home in Detroit, about looking back at her career, her shelves full of awards and why, at 65, she's getting better with age.

'Jewels in the Crown' is a collection of duets. What got you as an artist working with all these different people over the years?

Just the joy of the duet, the joy of meeting and getting to work with other artists that I would like to meet, which I don't often get a chance to do. Usually when I'm in concert it's an evening with Aretha, so I don't get a chance to meet and see a lot of other artists. Usually when I'm on, they're on. So it really was just the joy of getting to know them and then getting to the music.

Was there anyone in particular who was a big thrill for you?

I just loved working with George Benson, whom I very much enjoy musically and as a person. And the Sinatra duet was one that I really loved because it varied a little from the norm for me. I could sing a little jazz and scat a little, so I really, really loved that. And he always had the most impeccable, highest level of musicality, arrangement. So I just thrive in that.

These duets cover a huge time span of your career. In putting together this package, were there any tracks that sparked a lot of memories?

Doing the Sinatra duet was especially memorable for me because it took me back to when I first came out to Los Angeles and I first began to sing secular music. I was asked to do the Oscars and to sing 'Funny Girl,' which was a nominated song for Barbra Streisand, and he introduced me. So for a young, fledgling artist coming along to have an introduction by such a legendary person as Frank Sinatra was a huge moment for me.

Many artists don't listen to their own music. Do you?

I do, and it just always brings back wonderful memories for me. Sometimes I just put them on and let 'em play from album to album. I'm enjoying it and critiquing it at the same time. In hearing this album in its entirety, it brought back wonderful memories of myself and the artists. But in its finality, I said, "This album is brilliant." The musicality and the level of musicianship and performance, speaking of, I certainly don't say that about a lot of things.

Fantasia was one of two artists you worked with on new songs, with John Legend being the other. What did you look for in contemporary singers, and what did you feel they added to the project?

Actually, I just appreciated them as artists and the fact that they appreciated me. And John Legend is, in my opinion, classic. He is one of the best finds that has come along in a long time. He's very classic in terms of his performance and his writing, certainly as a stylist, and one that I enjoy. And Fantasia I enjoy equally as much. Clive [Davis] told me how she felt about me and everything, and then I saw her video and things like that. And of course I enjoyed her performances on 'American Idol' and I thought it would be a wonderful coupling.

Do you feel like you're getting better with age?

I think so. Next year, I think I'm going to go involve myself more in my piano styling. I haven't given a lot of time to my piano. It's been more vocals than anything else. But I picked up some wonderful things just listening to other pianists that I appreciate, and that would be Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, Vladimir Horowitz and Art Tatum. Those are the pianists I really enjoy and admire. I enjoyed James Cleveland, as well. He was one of my mentors, and James is one of the reasons I play the piano -- and Clara Ward.

When did you start playing piano?

At about 10. [But] I was more focused on my singing.

You're going to be honored by the Grammys as part of their MusiCares program next year. The program for the night involves other people singing your music. Who would you like to see perform your songs?

I don't know yet, but some of the artists that I requested are evangelist Ruby Terry, and Chris Brown and Nelly. Those are three of the people that I requested.

What would you like to see Nelly do?

Anything he'd like to do that's up and funky. I'd really prefer to hear him perform his own thing. They should let them do at least one of their own things.

You've won just about every award there is to win over the years. What does this one mean to you?

It's tremendous. It is an acknowledgment of my work to date, and I am just very, very pleased to be the honoree with such a prestigious group of the music industry and an arm of the Grammys. Of course, that is where 'Nessun Dorma' came from. I went to sing 'Nessun Dorma' for Mr. Pavarotti at the MusiCares dinner in New York at the Waldorf. And my classical coach and I worked on 'Nessun Dorma,' prepared that for him, and went and performed it. And I'm sitting on the other side of the fence now. So that's really, really neat. I don't have to do anything but sit there and enjoy it.

Were there any artists you heard cite you that really made you happy?

I think Natalie Cole, in reading her first story, when she first came into the industry, as well as Fantasia and other young vocalists. It's a delight.

It's funny, because you mentioned Sinatra earlier. And you, like everyone, I'm sure had your influences coming up. Who were those for you as a vocalist?

Those vocalists would be my father, who was a minister but also a first-class singer. Had he not have been in and continued on in ministry and theology, he would have absolutely and undoubtedly been a number-one singer. He coached me from time to time, as did Clara Ward, of the world famous Ward Singers. She was a very big influence on me vocally, as well and James Cleveland on my piano and Art Tatum. Art Tatum was a genius. Just say that. Just a genius, period. What he could do with a piano I've never heard anyone do. Art Tatum was Oscar Peterson's mentor, and Art Tatum was the pianist's pianist. All pianists in jazz and known pianists who I believe wanted to be playing on a certain level aspired to Art Tatum. Dorothy Donegan never came to the level of acknowledgment and success that she should have, but she was highly, highly respected by Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. He was a very good friend of my father's, as was Oscar Peterson, and he used to give me records of things to listen to see if I could emulate those pianists. And Eddie Haywood, 'Canadian Sunset,' was my first piano piece that he gave me that I played by ear and emulated.

Obviously, piano was deeply important to you. At what point did you realize the power that your voice had on people?

I don't know, but I just knew naturally that I was a better singer than I was a pianist. But I always felt adequate to accompany myself.

You mentioned earlier you like to listen to your stuff and critique it.

I can sit there and just listen to it or clean house by it and have a good time.

From the critical perspective, what are your favorite moments on record of your playing piano?

I don't know. That's yet to be. I'm going to do an album of piano, rhythm section, a quintet kind of thing.

How is the movie version of your autobiography, 'From These Roots,' coming along? Rumor has it you wanted Billy Dee Williams to play your father.

As a matter of fact, I saw Billy Dee yesterday. He's here in Detroit, part of a play that's here in town. But anyway, of course, we opened negotiations with a movie offer that we had to take off the table because the contract simply was not anything I could sign or work with. It just was not there in terms of the contracts after reading, scrutinizing everything with my agent and my attorneys. We then went to a telefilm, which is still on the table now. It's hard for the network to relinquish control of the prime casting, and it's equally as hard for me and I'm not going to relinquish control when it comes to myself, my family, and my father. So that's where we are?

With that, who would you like to see play you?

Well, I don't know. I'm still thinking of several people, and that would be Halle Berry, possibly Fantasia, she'll be through on Broadway in January, and it could be Jennifer Hudson -- you never know. There's no final on that yet. I'm still observing them and their projects. 'Dreamgirls' I've watched a couple of times lately, and I'm still just trying to arrive at the right decision.

Does Halle sing?

She's not a singer. She is a first-class actress and she would not have to sing with my records. She would act.