Aretha Franklin To Be Honored At BET's "Walk Of Fame" Celebration
By Chuck 'Jigsaw' Creekmur, BET.com Staff Writer
Posted September 12, 2003-- Black Entertainment Television will honor the legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin at this year's Walk Of Fame celebration, which will take place next month in Washington D.C.
Franklin has been an enduring icon of music for decades and BET has decided to honor her as we have singers like James Brown, Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder and others.
A special host will be Donnie Simpson, renowned radio personality and former host of BET's hit show "Video Soul."
The ceremony will take place on Oct. 18 and will be aired on Oct. 28. Expect a slew of entertainers to be announced to celebrate the career of this soul diva. A formal press conference will take place on on Oct. 16 at the Hyatt Hotel in Washington D.C.to announce the intimate details.
Aretha Franklin's superstar origins in music are rooted in her gospel background and rearing in Memphis, Tennessee. From 1956 to 1960, her albums were fully rooted in gospel. However from the 60's through the 70's, after waded through a few labels, Aretha collected a series of mammoth hits including "Respect," "Baby I Love You," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone."
But like most artists, her popularity didn't wane - it grew through the 70s and 80s. During the early 70's she achieved success with "Angel," "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" and "I'm In Love." She even made a cameo appearance in the cult classic film "The Blues Brothers."
The 80s yielded even more acclaim as she shifted to Arista Records, releasing a pair of albums and working with Luther Vandross on "Jump To It" and "Get It Right." She recorded an international smash with singer George Michael in "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me," which hit number 1 in the U.S. and the U.K.
Thirty years after her career began, her career came full circle when she recorded "A Rose Is Still a Rose," which was written, produced and arranged by Lauryn Hill. For the consummate diva, the song was just another example of her great, classic and soulful sound.
Aretha Franklin is the ninth star to be honored by BET's Walk Of Fame. Last year's honoree was Steve Wonder and, in 2001, Patti LaBelle.
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You gotta really be able to sing to get on that stage and "do Aretha"! I can't wait!
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