In the late seventies Aretha Franklin was at a career low point. Despite an stunning run of massive hits, running almost unbroken from 1967’s ‘I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Loved You)’ through to 1976’s ‘Something He Can Feel’, disco had left her and every other soul and RnB artist sidelined. Indeed, her contract with Atlantic lapsed following the non-chart-bothering La Diva in 1979 and neither party seemed bothered about renewing it.
But a career renaissance was about to strike in the form of two very, very white comedians who were about to cast her (and a bunch of other soul and blues legends at tricky points in their careers) in their film The Blues Brothers.
Franklin’s turn as the café-running wife of Matt “Guitar” Murphy was a scene-stealer, matched only by Ray Charles’ killer ‘Shake Your Tailfeather’, and it introduced her to a whole new generation right when she should have been transitioning into a heritage act.
The Blues Brothers wasn’t a hit at first, but became a beloved classic thanks to cable television and the fact that it was one of the about 12 films available during the first year of home video.
And that led to her subsequent deal with Arista and a massive second act with hits like ‘Freeway of Love’ and her duet with George Michael ‘I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)’.
Honestly, how many artists negotiate their way to a whole new audience? Damn few. And they’re all legends.
