The Queen
Aretha Franklin
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Narrated by:
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Adenrele Ojo
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By:
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Mikal Gilmore
About this listen
You know her voice. Now hear her story.
Audible has teamed up with Rolling Stone to produce an uncompromisingly honest Audible Original that honors the life and legacy of the incomparable Aretha Franklin. Aretha’s universal appeal was evident from the release of her first album at age 14 through her nearly 50 Top 40 hits. Yet this intimate biography reminds us that Aretha knew pain as much as she knew glory. It was the blues, residing deep within her soul, that gave way to a voice able to lift millions with a profound sense of freedom, self-worth, and undeniable talent to rise above sorrow.
Aretha’s unshakeable foundation of faith - fueled by a childhood spent singing in church alongside her famous father, minister C.L. Franklin - allowed her to blend heartbreak with spirituality in soul-stirring song. By diving into the true story of Aretha - from the years following her mother’s passing to the moment she decided to become a singer - the listener can’t help but glimpse the roots of the sorrow behind her famous eyes.
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Our favorite moments from The Queen
About the Author
Mikal Gilmore is a writer and music journalist who has been contributing to Rolling Stone for over four decades. He has published multiple books on music and culture, including Night Beat: A History of Rock and Roll and Stories Done: Writings on the 1960s and Its Discontents. Over the course of his career, Gilmore has profiled a wide range of musicians across genres, including Tupac Shakur, Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, and Chuck Berry. He has also turned the lens of his candid work towards his most intimate family memories. His brother, Gary Gilmore, demanded and, in 1977, received the death penalty for two murders he committed in Utah, becoming the first person in the US to be executed in nearly a decade. Mikal's 1994 memoir Shot in the Heart explored his relationship with his brother, and the aftermath of the execution. It won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was adapted into a 2001 HBO film. Gilmore’s forthcoming book, Stay with Me, co-written with his wife, Elaine Schock, about their shared experience during and after their difficult experience with his Stage IV cancer in 2015 and 2016, will be published in early 2019.
About the Performer
Adenrele Ojo is an award-winning actress, voice-over artist, writer, producer, and photographer. She began recording audiobooks in 2007, quickly garnering AudioFile Earphones Awards for her narration on Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The Mothers, and Heart of Iron, as well as a 2018 Audie Award for her co-narration of Loving vs. Virginia. Born into a theatrical family, she is the daughter of John E. Allen, Jr., the late founder of the New Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia. She holds a BA in Theater from Hunter College in New York and has studied the Meisner technique at the William Esper Studio under Maggie Flanigan. Ojo’s illustrious stage credits include the 2006 production of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson, earning her a nomination for an Ovation Award, and The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza, winner of a 2010 Ovation Award and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Award.
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Performance
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When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries all vied for his time and cash after he catapulted, practically overnight, onto the Forbes billionaire list. Who was this rumpled guy in cargo shorts and limp white socks, whose eyes twitched across Zoom meetings as he played video games on the side?
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really expected more rigor from Michael Lewis
- By Wowhello on 10-04-23
By: Michael Lewis
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The Madman's Hotel
- By: Niall Breslin
- Narrated by: Niall Breslin
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
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In the heart of the rolling green hills of Ireland a huge abandoned psychiatric asylum looms large and holds its secrets close, until one family fights to find the truth about their long lost great grandmother. Presented by Irish celebrity and mental health advocate Niall Breslin - this is the untold story of the quest to find patient Julia Leonard, alongside many others, who came to die in St Loman’s Hospital near Dublin. Why was Julia in St Loman’s? And what happened to her and other patients who found themselves within its walls?
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Heart felt Remembrance
- By RosaInGlousta on 11-05-24
By: Niall Breslin
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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
- A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
- By: Lori Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.
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It was like a hallmark movie being waterboarded into my ears for 15 hours
- By Amazon Customer on 10-01-19
By: Lori Gottlieb
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The Parole Room
- By: Ben Austen
- Narrated by: Ben Austen
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
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Will Johnnie Veal—convicted of the murder of two police officers in 1970—be granted parole after 50 years in prison? How can he convince the parole board he’s reformed when he insists he’s innocent? What is prison time even supposed to accomplish? These are the questions that propel The Parole Room forward as it builds toward Johnnie’s 20th parole hearing—after 19 rejections.
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Enlightening story & a must read
- By Patsy on 10-07-24
By: Ben Austen
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Problem Child
- By: Terrell Carter, Stacy Thunes
- Narrated by: Terrell Carter
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Problem Child is the unbelievably true story of Terrell Carter, an American musician and actor who grew up in Buffalo, New York, in a dysfunctional family, each member crazier than the next. And the Problem Child is the only one in the story who may, or may not, actually have a problem. An emotional journey of trials and revelations, with a huge secret at its core, this story may force you to laugh - just to keep from crying.
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Worth the wait . . .
- By JPALJ on 12-07-22
By: Terrell Carter, and others
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Elvis and Me
- By: Priscilla Beaulieu Presley
- Narrated by: Priscilla Beaulieu Presley
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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The inspiration for the major motion picture Priscilla directed by Sofia Coppola, this New York Times best seller reveals the intimate story of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, told by the woman who lived it.
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What a story!
- By Pen Name on 08-28-22
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
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Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
- By Cynthia on 12-11-13
By: Jack Weatherford
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The Wonder of Stevie
- By: Wesley Morris
- Narrated by: Wesley Morris, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Original Recording
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The year 1972 saw the beginning of a five-year span in which Stevie Wonder released five groundbreaking, critically acclaimed albums, garnering him more than half a dozen Grammys and more than 10 million albums sold, securing his place as one of the most important American musicians and songwriters in history. For the first time, uncover the untold story of an extraordinary artistic journey that shaped the greatest creative era in popular music history.
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Good but not great
- By Anonymous User on 09-14-24
By: Wesley Morris
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The Last Days of Cabrini-Green
- By: Ben Austen, Harrison David Rivers
- Narrated by: Ben Austen, Patina Miller, Harry Lennix, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
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In 1992, the deadliest year in Chicago’s history, seven-year-old Dantrell Davis was shot and killed in front of his elementary school inside the public housing complex Cabrini-Green. What happened to Dantrell led to a truce among Chicago’s gangs, but it also ignited a national panic about poverty and violence in America’s cities. Dantrell’s name would soon be used to demolish all of Chicago’s high-rise public housing, displacing tens of thousands of low-income families.
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A Gripping and Necessary Work
- By booklover on 11-24-24
By: Ben Austen, and others
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San Miguel Kidnappings
- By: Erick Galindo, Roger Vela
- Narrated by: Karla Souza
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Original Recording
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The close knit community in San Miguel de Allende Mexico was plagued by a string of sophisticated kidnappings for nearly a decade. When the police finally made an arrest the townspeople were shocked by who was accused of masterminding the criminal enterprise. It's everyone's favorite neighbor and a pillar of the community, Ramon Guerra. Except Ramon isn't who he says he is.
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Insightful
- By Tara on 12-11-24
By: Erick Galindo, and others
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The Book of Murder
- A Prosecutor's Journey Through Love and Death
- By: Matt Murphy
- Narrated by: Matt Murphy
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Examining murder from an insider’s perspective, Matt Murphy—a former senior deputy district attorney and current ABC News legal analyst—discusses cases from his career, how they strained his personal life, and how he found peace seeking justice for victims and their families. Part taxonomy of murder, part prosecutor’s handbook, and part personal memoir, The Book of Murder goes through a dozen cases and his recollections of his 26 years in the Orange County DA’s office (17 in the Homicide Unit).
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Fascinating true crime
- By RueRue on 12-19-24
By: Matt Murphy
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The Meaning of Mariah Carey
- By: Mariah Carey
- Narrated by: Mariah Carey
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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It took me a lifetime to have the courage and the clarity to write my memoir. I want to tell the story of the moments - the ups and downs, the triumphs and traumas, the debacles and the dreams - that contributed to the person I am today. This book is composed of my memories, my mishaps, my struggles, my survival, and my songs. Unfiltered. I went deep into my childhood and gave the scared little girl inside of me a big voice. I let the abandoned and ambitious adolescent have her say, and the betrayed and triumphant woman I became tell her side.
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Entertaining glitz glam smoke and mirrors - not the whole story.
- By Anonymous User on 10-04-20
By: Mariah Carey
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Episodes
- The True Story of Two Friends & One Diagnosis
- By: Mara Altman, Kat Alexander
- Narrated by: Mara Altman, Kat Alexander
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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In Episodes, lifelong best friends Kat and Mara take listeners on an unfiltered journey through friendship, mental illness, and survival. Kat, a successful professional, is preparing for marriage and motherhood. On her fourth round of IVF, it happened—a frantic call to Mara. Mara comes over to find Kat, her friend of 25 years—the one who'd always been levelheaded, hilarious, and over-the-top thoughtful—trying to jump through a window.
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Just listen!
- By AJ on 11-17-24
By: Mara Altman, and others
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- As Told to Alex Haley
- By: Malcolm X, Alex Haley
- Narrated by: Laurence Fishburne
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Experience a bold take on this classic autobiography as it’s performed by Oscar-nominated Laurence Fishburne. In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
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it's Nearly perfect
- By Kerry on 09-16-20
By: Malcolm X, and others
What listeners say about The Queen
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- serine
- 11-15-18
Interesting life
Review This was a free Audible Original. Ended up learning about Aretha's incredibly interesting life. Definitely worth readying.
#tagsgiving sweepstakes
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2 people found this helpful
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- John
- 05-16-21
Preachy
The performer slowly enunciated each word as if lecturing to the uninitiated or to a high schooler. In a tone that says “hear me and do as I say.”
The history of Aretha took about 1 hour of this 3+ hour book. That would have been fine.
However hearing the book reminded me to purchase her first gospel CD.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Elizabeth Lauren
- 10-24-18
Insightful
Thank you for staring this Great Lady's story. Her songs are the soundtrack of my life
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- Dylan A.
- 02-15-19
Too Opinionated
The reader was amazing and made the over all experience a good one.
However, the book itself was too opinionated. It felt more like something from a variety magazine and a biography.
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- Anonymous User
- 11-21-18
i didnt know
lots of info here. so much i didnt know and i consider my self a fan. R.I.P. Rea and Sam Cook too...
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- Rocky Sunico
- 07-10-19
Solid Experience
Picked this up as a free Audible Original and wasn't expecting too much as it's a little outside my comfort zone. But it turned out to be a rather thoughtful effort to cover the highlights of Aretha Franklin's life and map the course of her career over the years. Good narration and good content. Solid experience.
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- Lynn A. D.
- 01-15-19
An honest story
This is an honest story about Aretha Franklin, hers ups and downs, her triumphs and losses.
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- Herb Duberry
- 12-30-18
AWESOME
This book is a life changer. It takes you into Aretha complex world with great simplicity.
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- ShirleyC
- 02-24-19
BEAUTIFUL, Just beautiful,
What a fitting (and explanatory) tribute to a woman who truly changed the world. Amen.
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- Caryn Sapeli
- 11-13-18
Good overview of the Life of a Legend
This book spans Aretha's lifetime. Her innate gifts, and self taught musical abilities coupled with her strong spirit are inspiring. The backstory of her rather tumultuous childhood, with some tough emotional blows, and the way she pressed on to an incredible career make an engaging story. Lots of history of soul and the music industry is informative and entertaining.
#Inspiring #celebrity #amazingtalent #selftaught
#tagsgiving and #sweepstakes
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