The Queen Of Soul
I was slumped in front of the TV, watching the Homegoing service for Aretha. Over Saturday, Sunday and today. I managed to watch all ten-plus hours as I’d promised myself I would. After all Auntie ReRe, as we affectionately called her was worth at least a weekend of our time in order to pay proper tribute to someone as impactful as she was. It was gratifying to know that the world is finally aware of not only her immense talent but also her important work in the Civil Rights Movement and her philanthropy. Indeed she overcame considerable obstacles to become who she was.
Obviously her contribution to music was incomparable. Back in the day it was pretty much taken for granted that anything she released would be a hit and more often than not that assumption came true. Our parents listened to and bought her records religiously and we young folk followed suit. Seeing Aretha on TV was a special treat because seeing us on television hadn’t yet become commonplace.
So as I watched the parade of family and friends, clergy, entertainers, politicians and various community leaders pay her tribute I found myself wondering if it was even possible to have a “Queen Of Soul” in today’s musical landscape? Hell, could Aretha even get a record deal in today’s music business? For most of her career she did not fit the “look” of today’s mainstream female artists. She was a bronzed goddess with plenty of curves who struggled with weight issues. I would like to think that her supreme talent would compel anybody with a good set of ears to put her out there but when I look at the crop of entertainers that the industry promotes I’m not so sure and that’s a sad thought.
I thought back to the experience of actual record buying in the olden days. Modern conveniences like downloading and streaming did not exist. One had to physically run down the street and around the corner to the record store to hand over the money you’d saved up for weeks, in an old sock, or one of mom’s old change purses so you could bring home your newest prized possession. A record in pristine condition, free of scratches for the time being. Someone scratching your records was an offense worthy of fighting about because if your record got scratched you would have to carefully place a coin on the record player needle and hope it stopped the skipping. It wasn’t just a quick push of a button, it was the whole experience of calling friends to come over and gather around the record player to share the latest music while you read through the liner notes, absorbed the album art and discovered the deep cuts. Good Times!
It was a different kind of interaction where you usually didn’t know much about the artist on a personal level, much less getting some kind of alert on your phone every time they get a hangnail, (thank you social media). It was more about getting to know them through their art. The interesting part is that the musical landscape was so diverse that everybody had their own distinct sound and flavor. Add to that the fact that many radio stations were independently owned, corporate playlists didn’t exist and every DJ also had their own vibe and you had an atmosphere that nourished creativity instead of branding, ( I always tell my kids that branding is something done to cattle).
An environment exists today where too often people with no artistic vision, whose only concern is moving units are making the choices. In a climate of style over substance I can’t help wondering how many of our legendary artists would even get a foot in the door at some of these labels regardless of talent? The good news is that indie artists who don’t want to be restricted by a formulaic business plan or assembly line packaging have more avenues to get their music to the public, at least for now.
I concluded that even though I probably sound like a relic, shaking my fist at the kids and ordering them off my lawn, as far as music is concerned I would not have chosen any other era to be born into than the era of artists like Ms. Aretha Franklin. It pains me that there are many gifted artists struggling to make a career in music today who would have flourished in that era, but are left to whither on the vine in this era because they don’t fit neatly into a particular marketing plan. We the music consuming public can and should speak on behalf of artists having the same kind of creative control over their music that Auntie ReRe was able to demand in her day.
