General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe night Aretha Franklin brought the nation's first black president to tears
By DeNeen L. Brown, Reporter
August 16 at 1:53 PM
Hed made history as the countrys first black president. Shed made history as the Queen of Soul.
Aretha Franklin, who died Thursday at 76, sang My Country, Tis of Thee at Barack Obamas inauguration in 2009. Shed stood on the steps in freezing cold in a gray hat, her voice sailing over the huge crowd that stretched back to the Reflecting Pool.
Now six years later, the president was sitting in the balcony at the Kennedy Center in Washington when Franklin took the stage. She was making a surprise appearance to honor Carole King at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors.
Franklin carried a silver sequin clutch and wore a lush, gray floor-length mink. Her necklace of diamonds might as well have been a crown.
The stage lights flashed, bouncing off the diamonds. The crowd gasped at the sight of Franklin, and King, who wrote Natural Woman with Gerry Goffin, stood in awe. Michelle Obama, in an electric-blue gown, sitting next to King, rose beside the president.
Franklin swept back her long mink, slid onto the piano bench and began to play Natural Woman.
Looking out on the morning rain, she sang in her signature soulful, rich voice, sounding like no other. I used to feel so uninspired.
The camera cut to President Obama, who wiped back a tear before Franklin sang the next verse.
more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/08/16/the-night-aretha-franklin-brought-the-nations-first-black-president-to-tears/
saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)CurtEastPoint
(18,646 posts)Arkansas Granny
(31,517 posts)Docreed2003
(16,861 posts)Aretha had that power in her voice...the world has lost an icon!
Hav
(5,969 posts)you can see that he wasn't the only one moved to tears. Good times.
Nowadays, the "president" calls the citizens he's supposed to serve a dog.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Rest in peace Aretha.