Synopses & Reviews
The definitive biography of the Queen of Soul from acclaimed music writer David Ritz.Aretha Franklin began life as the golden daughter of a progressive and promiscuous Baptist preacher. Raised without her mother, she was a gospel prodigy who gave birth to two sons in her teens and left them and her native Detroit for New York, where she struggled to find her true voice. It was not until 1967, when a white Jewish producer insisted she return to her gospel-soul roots, that fame and fortune finally came via "Respect" and a rapidfire string of hits. She has evolved ever since, amidst personal tragedy, surprise Grammy performances, and career reinventions.
Again and again, Aretha stubbornly finds a way to triumph over troubles, even as they continue to build. Her hold on the crown is tenacious, and in RESPECT, David Ritz gives us the definitive life of one of the greatest talents in all American culture.
Review
"Ritz's intimate and elegant voice steps from behind the veil of the ghostwriter to tell a tale of genius, dysfunction and blind ambition, describing a world of triumph and tragedy of near mythic proportions. A great read and a really heroic work of biography -- honest, loving, no holds barred."--Ben Sidran, author of There Was a Fire
Review
"The monumental biography we've been waiting for of Lady Soul, our greatest soul singer, from the also very great David Ritz, confidante to an entire generation of soul stars -- Ray, Smokey, B.B., Etta, Marvin, etcetera. He is The Man. This is The Book."--Joel Selvin, author of Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues
Review
"An honest and genuinely respectful portrait of a true diva by a writer who feels the power of her art."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
"This far surpasses David Ritz's landmark study of Marvin Gaye. People will be reading Respect generations from now to understand our musical culture. Ritz deserves a lifetime achievement award for "Most Soul Full Account of America's Music."--Charles Keil, ethnomusicologist, author of Urban Blues
Review
"Only someone who had the complete confidence and trust of Aretha's family and the elite of the Gospel and Rhythm and Blues communities could have gotten this story. An intimate and thorough account of this phenomenal woman's talent and life as only David Ritz could capture."--Tommy LiPuma, Grammy-winning producer
Review
"It's a comprehensive, illuminating and unfailingly solicitous account of a life that, whatever its tribulations, conflicts and complications, has always somehow been redeemed by Franklin's musical calling.... [Ritz has] an exceptional capacity to listen with care and sympathy to what people tell him, and then render their words vividly and compassionately."--Gene Seymour, USA Today
Review
"You'll be in the nimble hands of a pro if you read Respect."--Janet Maslin, New York Times
Review
"David Ritz's Respect judiciously captures the conflicted life of the legendary Queen of Soul."--Lisa Shea, Elle
Review
"Like the great gospel choirs, Respect brings together a community of powerful voices in a tribute to the powers of music, the spirit, and, above all, Lady Soul. Crowning his life's work, David Ritz has achieved the near-impossible, taking us behind the many masks that Aretha has worn through one of the most complex musical lives of the 20th and 21st centuries. Everyone who loves gospel and soul has experienced moments when the only response is one of profound gratitude. When I finished Respect, that's what I felt. A towering achievement."--Craig Werner, author of Higher Ground: Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield and the Rise and Fall of American Soul
Review
"Drawing on previous work and interviews with those close to Franklin, Ritz offers a portrait of a woman for whom faith and respect are essential."--Vanessa Bush, Booklist (starred review)
Review
"A fascinating, delicious depiction of the life of a woman who'd rather not be depicted.... A book so juicy, it is dripping."--Rich Juzwiak, Gawker
Review
"A candid, far less sanitized look at the enormously gifted but demanding diva."--People
Review
"Respect will stand as one of Ritz's greatest and most unusual achievements: a rich, definitive portrait set in motion by a bit of unfinished business."--Nate Chinen, New York Times
Review
"Revealing."--Natalie Beach, O, The Oprah Magazine's "10 Titles to Pick Up Now"
Review
"A full and frank account of the Queen of Soul's career.... Ultimately a poignant and disappointing tale of a singer who never reached the pinnacle for which she aimed."--Henry L. Carrigan Jr., BookPage
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"The most comprehensive and accurate account of Franklin yet published."--Christopher Loudon, Maclean's Magazine
Review
"A remarkably complex portrait of [Aretha Franklin's] music and her tumultuous life."--Rolling Stone
Review
"Thorough research and an intimate personal story make this book the definitive biography of a popular American diva."--The Fresno Bee
Review
"Ritz's book ultimately succeeds because it holistically presents a balanced psychological portrait of the great legend."--Joey DiGuglielmo, Washington Blade
Synopsis
This "comprehensive and illuminating" biography of the Queen of Soul (USA Today) was hailed by Rolling Stone as "a remarkably complex portrait of Aretha Franklin's music and her tumultuous life."
Aretha Franklin began life as the golden daughter of a progressive and promiscuous Baptist preacher. Raised without her mother, she was a gospel prodigy who gave birth to two sons in her teens and left them and her native Detroit for New York, where she struggled to find her true voice. It was not until 1967, when a white Jewish producer insisted she return to her gospel-soul roots, that fame and fortune finally came via "Respect" and a rapidfire string of hits. She continued to evolve for decades, amidst personal tragedy, surprise Grammy performances, and career reinventions.
Again and again, Aretha stubbornly found a way to triumph over troubles, even as they continued to build. Her hold on the crown was tenacious, and in Respect, David Ritz gives us the definitive life of one of the greatest talents in all American culture.
About the Author
David Ritz is the only four-time winner of the Gleason Music Book Award and won the 2013 ASCAP Timothy White award for outstanding musical biography for his book with Buddy Guy. He also cowrote, with Marvin Gaye, the song "Sexual Healing" and lives in Los Angeles with his wife.