A gospel prodigy steeped in the music of Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward, Minister C.L Franklin’s beautiful daughter Aretha sang spirituals for Martin Luther King, Jr. and other African-American royalty as her powerful father looked on. But when Columbia Records brought this jewel to New York, the body of a young woman concealed a lost soul. Aretha struggled to find her voice plush strings and champagne-swirled show tunes and standards until she unmasked her pain on a striking tribute to Dinah. There, underneath the polish, was a gritty soul about to take flight-and a queen soon to find her crown.

Aretha Franklin The Queen In Waiting (The Columbia Years 1960-1965)