Preview
  • The Queen

  • Aretha Franklin
  • By: Mikal Gilmore
  • Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
  • Length: 3 hrs and 48 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (5,759 ratings)

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The Queen

By: Mikal Gilmore
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
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Publisher's summary

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.

©2018 Rolling Stone, LLC. (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.
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Our favorite moments from The Queen

The sorrowful childhood that fueled her powerful voice
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Get to know Aretha’s famous father, minister C.L. Franklin
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The moment that moved Aretha to sing
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  • The Queen
  • The sorrowful childhood that fueled her powerful voice
  • The Queen
  • Get to know Aretha’s famous father, minister C.L. Franklin
  • The Queen
  • The moment that moved Aretha to sing

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.

Featured Article: From the Queen of Soul to the Purple One, Hear the Stories of Black Musicians and Artists Who Broke Boundaries


This Black History Month—and every day of the year—we're shining a light on artists and thinkers who demonstrate the boundless depths of Black creativity, joy, and love. We've gathered a list of memoirs by and biographies about artists who totally upended the expectations of a white-dominated field and crafted something entirely their own, making history and changing lives as a result.

What listeners say about The Queen

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Insightful

Thank you for staring this Great Lady's story. Her songs are the soundtrack of my life

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

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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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

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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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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An honest story

This is an honest story about Aretha Franklin, hers ups and downs, her triumphs and losses.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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AWESOME

This book is a life changer. It takes you into Aretha complex world with great simplicity.

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BEAUTIFUL, Just beautiful,

What a fitting (and explanatory) tribute to a woman who truly changed the world. Amen.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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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