Say a little prayer for Aretha

Say a Little Prayer… by Tom Hughes

“From the time that Dinah Washington first told me that Aretha was the ‘next one’ when she was 12 years old until the present day, Aretha Franklin set the bar upon which every female singer has and will be measured. And she did it with the professionalism, class, grace and humility that only a true Queen could. I treasured every moment that we spent together from working in the recording studio, to performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, or simply hanging in the kitchen, and I will miss her dearly. RIP Ree-Ree. You will reign as the Queen forever.”
-musician & producer Quincy Jones

Aretha Franklin, the unquestioned Queen of Soul, has passed away. Her career spanned 6 decades and in that time she won 18 Grammy awards and such honors as the Presidential Medal Of Freedom and membership in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame & the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

I really liked The Guardian’s Aretha Franklin photo gallery , Rolling Stone’s list of Aretha’s 50 best songs and their article about her multi-level impact as an artist are both excellent, and you can see what folks are saying about Aretha on Twitter.

View Tom’s photo bigger and see more in his Detroit photo album.

Here’s Aretha singing Amazing Grace <3