Float through any social event with M's fast facts. This week Kevin McIndoe looks at the life and times of Aretha Franklin, dubbed the Queen of Soul, who turns 70 this month
THE BASICS Aretha Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in a two-roomed wooden house in Memphis, Tennessee, the third of four children born to Barbara and CL Franklin, a Baptist minister. The family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where Aretha was brought up by her grandmother after her parents split.
WHY IS SHE THE QUEEN OF SOUL? Sheer talent, critical acclaim, commercial appeal, career longevity, timeless recordings and awards galore. Aretha was the first woman to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1987. She topped Rolling Stone's Greatest Singers of All Time and was voted ninth greatest artist of all time. A winner of 20 Grammys, she can veer from blues to jazz to R&B to rock, and she has sold more than 100 million records. Ray Charles said: "There are singers, then there is Aretha. She towers above the rest."
WITH SONGS LIKE? Respect, I Say a Little Prayer, Baby I Love You, I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You), Spanish Harlem, (You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman, Chain of Fools, Think, etc, etc.
HOW DID SHE START OUT? Aretha grew up (like many singers) learning her craft in church, in this case her father's New Bethel Baptist Church. At 18, she started her career at Columbia Records singing jazz standards, but this material did her small justice. After she signed with Atlantic Records in 1966, the legendary producers Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin and the recording engineer Tom Dowd steered her to greatness. As she said: "They made me sit down at the piano and the hits came."
A GOOD SINGER, THEN? One of the best. Although her pitch has dropped since her earlier years, she has been likened to a bird who can screech, but always in tune. Technically, Aretha is a mezzo-soprano, whose vocal ability spans three octaves. She is also an excellent pianist, and a songwriter.
WHY IS SHE SO GOOD? While the ranges of Mariah Carey (reportedly, five octaves) and Celine Dion (four) may top Aretha's, these are not necessarily a barometer of quality. The measure of singers is by the number of notes they can actually sing, not just hit. Aretha produces a rich, voluminous, textured sound and has been known to hold a note for 20 seconds, and with little vibrato (take note, Mariah).
TELL ME MORE With perfect enunciation, intonation and phrasing, Aretha plunders the depths of her soul to uplift or sadden the listener. The late Wexler referred to her as "a difficult woman", but it is likely that she objected to being told how to sing a number. Respect, indeed!
SHE LIKES TO DO THINGS HER WAY? Oh, yes. Her take on I Say a Little Prayer blew an earlier version by Dionne Warwick out of the water. And, after hearing her rendering of Respect, its writer, Otis Redding, grumbled that she now "owned" it. When she was asked (with 20 minutes to go) to fill in for the ailing Luciano Pavarotti at the 1998 Grammy Awards, the orchestra had rehearsed the aria Nessun Dorma in his key. No pressure then, but Aretha brought the house down.
AND PRETTY INFLUENTIAL? Absolutely. It's difficult to find a female singer who hasn't been influenced by her - Patti LaBelle, Jennifer Hudson, Adele, Alicia Keys, Duffy, Lauryn Hill and Beyoncé, for example. Alas, the latter earned Aretha's displeasure by introducing Tina Turner, not her, as "The Queen" at a Grammy Awards ceremony in 2008.
STILL GOING STRONG? Yes. She still lives in Detroit and has no plans to retire.
Soul sisters
Life wasn't always easy for these women, but we love their ability to dig deep, cross over and make some timeless classics.
NINA SIMONE (US, 1933-2003) The High Priestess of Soul, a singer, songwriter and classically trained pianist. Simone's rich contralto and sheer musicianship spellbound her audiences. Recommended: I Put A Spell On You
ROBERTA FLACK (US, 1937-) Like Simone a music scholar, the mellow-voiced Flack signed with Atlantic Records in 1968, where she rather overshadowed Aretha in the early Seventies. Recommended: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
ETTA JAMES (US, 1938-2012) Fiery blues singer known as The Matriarch of R&B. James was a prodigious talent, and took her first singing lessons at the age of 5. Also an electrifying jazz performer. Recommended: At Last
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD (UK, 1939-1999) Dubbed the White Queen of Soul, Springfield made Dusty in Memphis in 1968, an all-time masterpiece. Recommended: I Just Don't Know What To Do with Myself
TINA TURNER (US, 1939-) The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, with gutsy, powerful vocals and a commanding stage presence. Recommended: River Deep, Mountain High
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Points Classification
1. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 63
2. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 38
3. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 25
4. Sonny Colbrelli (Italy / Bahrain) 24
5. Mark Cavendish (Britain / Dimension Data) 22
6. Taylor Phinney (U.S. / Cannondale) 21
7. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) 20
8. Thomas Boudat (France / Direct Energie) 20
9. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland / BMC Racing) 17
10. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 17
Start times
5.55am: Wheelchair Marathon Elites
6am: Marathon Elites
7am: Marathon Masses
9am: 10Km Road Race
11am: 4Km Fun Run
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
Step by step
2070km to run
38 days
273,600 calories consumed
28kg of fruit
40kg of vegetables
45 pairs of running shoes
1 yoga matt
1 oxygen chamber
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
A German university was a good fit for the family budget
Annual fees for the Technical University of Munich - £600
Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between £200-600
The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses - £20,000 annually
Overall costs in Germany are lower than the family estimated
As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640
Students are permitted to withdraw £720 per month
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
More on Quran memorisation:
