Morning Cup of Soul: "Today I Sing The Blues" - Celebrating Aretha's Birthday

Aretha Franklin at her 72nd Birthday Celebration

For me everyday is an Aretha Franklin day.  She is sure enough the Queen of Soul and may she forever reign.  Aretha celebrated her 72^nd birthday and she’s being slaying singers since the tender age of 14 when she recorded her first album in her father’s church in Detroit.

It’s so hard to pick just one Aretha Franklin song that’s a favorite because I love her entire catalogue. From the songs she’s written like “Think”, “Daydreaming”, and “Call Me”. To the songs that she’s borrowed from others and created something new out of like “Respect”, “Bridge Over Trouble Waters” and “Don’t Play That Song For Me”. To those unbelievable songs written for her and she took them places the songwriter couldn’t imagine like “Natural Woman”, “I Never Loved A Man”, and “Until You Come Back To Me”.

I decided to go with her first charted song in 1960 which was “Today I Sing The Blues” recorded when she was on Columbia Records. The song charted #10 on the R&B charts. It wasn’t considered a big deal at Columbia because they were focus on the Pop charts trying to market her as a Pop singer and not the Soul singer she’s known for today. When you listen to it you can hear the Soul singing popping out and her Gospel back.

Aretha would rerecord this song in 1969 on her album with Atlantic Records “Soul ‘69”. Just sit back and listen to a genius at work.