| Soft and Beautiful | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | c. April 1969 | |||
| Recorded | July 9–16, 1964 | |||
| Genre | Soul, R&B | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Clyde Otis | |||
| Aretha Franklin chronology | ||||
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Soft and Beautiful is the fifteenth studio album by the American singer Aretha Franklin, released in the spring of 1969, by Columbia Records.
The album was recorded when Franklin was 22 years old between July 9 and 16, 1964, [1] It was her last album on Columbia before she moved to Atlantic Records and until 1969, unreleased, although an alternative version of "A Mother's Love" appeared on Franklin's 1966 Columbia LP Soul Sister. [2] It reached Number 29 on Billboard's R&B chart. Mark Bego, in Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul, called it "the most consistently paced album of her later Columbia years". [2] Originally released by Columbia Records, the album was reissued on CD with her 1962 album The Tender, The Moving, The Swinging Aretha Franklin .
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Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, and civil rights activist. Franklin began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father C. L. Franklin was a minister. At the age of 18, she embarked on a secular-music career as a recording artist for Columbia Records. While Franklin's career did not immediately flourish, she found acclaim and commercial success after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966. Hit songs such as "I Never Loved a Man ", "Respect", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Chain of Fools", "Think", and "I Say a Little Prayer" propelled her past her musical peers. By the end of the 1960s, Aretha Franklin had come to be known as the "Queen of Soul".
James Van Heusen was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song.
The Sweet Inspirations were an American R&B girl group founded by Emily "Cissy" Houston, mother of Whitney Houston, and sister of Lee Warwick. Houston and Warwick were members of The Drinkard Singers, a family group that had the distinction of recording the first Gospel album to appear on a major label—a live recording from The Newport Jazz Festival in 1959. The line-up included Judy Guions, Marie Epps, Larry Drinkard, Nicholas Drinkard, Ann Moss, Lee and Emily.
With You in Mind is Alma Cogan's second album, issued in 1961. It was her first album to be released on Columbia Records, an EMI Records label.
This discography documents the releases of albums and singles by Aretha Franklin, who is ranked first among female vocalists with the most Billboard chart hits during the rock era (1955–2012) with a total of 88 according to Joel Whitburn's Record Research.
Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie Shuffle." He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.
"I Never Loved a Man " is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin. Released on Atlantic Records, as the first big hit of her career, it became a defining song for Franklin, peaking at number one on the rhythm and blues charts and number nine on the pop charts. The B-side was "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man". Before this Franklin had placed only two Top 40 singles on the pop chart during her modest tenure with Columbia Records.
Day by Day is a Doris Day album released by Columbia Records on December 17, 1956. The title is an obvious pun, both meaning "on a daily basis" and "(Doris) Day, in the daytime". The album was issued as Columbia catalog CL-942.
"But Beautiful" is a popular song with music written by Jimmy Van Heusen, the lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was published in 1947.
Roger Hawkins is an American drummer best known for playing as part of the studio backing band known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section of Alabama.
So Damn Happy is the thirty-fifth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. Her first studio album in five years, it included the Grammy Award-winning track "Wonderful", the single co written and produced by Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, his very first project with the Queen of Soul was a grand slam. The album peaked at number 33 on US Billboard 200 and number 11 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, while reaching the top thirty of the Italian Albums Chart. Shortly after its release, Franklin left Arista after a stay of 23 years. She later announced plans to start her own Detroit-based record label, Aretha Records.
"Share Your Love with Me" is a song written by Alfred Braggs and Deadric Malone. It was originally recorded by blues singer Bobby "Blue" Bland. Over the years, the song has been covered by various artists, most notably Aretha Franklin who won a Grammy Award for her 1969 rendition. Other artists who covered the song include The Band in 1973, Kenny Rogers in 1981, and most recently, Van Morrison in 2016.
Thomas Clark Cogbill was an American bassist, guitarist and record producer working in the R&B, soul music, and country music genres.
Laughing on the Outside is the fourth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on August 12, 1963, by Columbia Records. The album was recorded at Columbia Recording Studios in New York and Hollywood. These sessions found a 21-year-old Aretha Franklin recording Jazz and Pop music standards, from Johnny Mercer to Duke Ellington. She is backed by the arrangements of Columbia producer Robert Mersey. One of the most popular songs from the album is Aretha's interpretation of the classic "Skylark". A minute and fifty-eight seconds into the song, Aretha sings the word "Skylark" with power and emotion. This was one of the first times in which Aretha recorded one of her written compositions, "I Wonder ", on an album. Though somewhat overlooked in her Columbia catalogue, this album was jointly re-released with The Electrifying Aretha Franklin in June 2008.
"One Step Ahead" is a song by American soul singer Aretha Franklin. The single containing the song was released by Columbia Records in 1965. "One Step Ahead" was the A-side of the single, and peaked at #18 on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart. The B-side, "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face," was taken from her 1964 album Runnin' Out Of Fools. The single was released two years before Aretha achieved stardom when she joined Atlantic Records.
Yeah!!! is the seventh studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, Released on May 17, 1965 by Columbia Records. Contrary to the overdubbed sounds of audience murmurs, the album was not a live album, but instead was recorded live at New York's Columbia Studios and produced by Clyde Otis. This would be Franklin's last collection of jazz recordings until the release of 1969's Soul '69, released during her landmark tenure at Atlantic Records. An expanded version of the album that also contains the original session tracks without audience overdubs has been released on CD in the Columbia Box Set Take a Look: Aretha Franklin Complete On Columbia.
"Night Life" is a song written by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. Nelson was inspired to write the song during one of his trips from his home in Pasadena, Texas, to his work, singing at the Esquire Ballroom in Houston.
Best of Duets is a 2013 compilation album by Frank Sinatra. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's groundbreaking and highly successful album, Duets, Capitol/UMe released a newly remastered Sinatra Duets – Twentieth Anniversary Best of Duets, a 14-song, single-disc collection featuring key tracks from both Duets and Duets II.
The Queen in Waiting: The Columbia Years (1960–1965) is a 2002 compilation album of Aretha Franklin's early recordings from 1960 to 1965 when she was signed to Columbia Records. It was repackaged as part of The Essential series in 2010, with a three-disc set containing eight additional songs also being released as The Essential 3.0.
Theodore Richard White is an American businessman, songwriter, and producer. White is better known as the manager and first husband of soul singer Aretha Franklin. As a songwriter, White wrote or co-wrote numerous songs for Franklin, including "I Wonder ", "Lee Cross", "Dr. Feelgood", and "Think".
