Soul Singer
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and his family were really close to Aretha Franklin’s father (who was also a reverend). After his tragic assassination in 1968, the singer attended his funeral where she performed Precious Lord. Jerry Wexler, Franklin’s producer at Atlantic, praised her performance. He described it as “a holy blend of truth and unspeakable tragedy.”
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Four years later, she was invited to perform at gospel icon Mahalia Jackson’s funeral. This helped strengthen her role in the world of Gospel music. In 1968, the Mayor of Detroit at the time, Jerome P.