Aretha Franklin [Hardcover]

Mark Bego (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1989

Aretha Franklin's soulful voice has earned her fifteen Grammies and the honor of being the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. An uncompromising survivor, Aretha has stirred millions with her classic hits, including, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" and "Respect." But she has also faced daunting personal challenges: her mother's desertion; teenage pregnancy; several unhappy marriages; and a tragic shooting that led to the death of her father. With unique access to key figures in Aretha's past, and a new chapter revealing the most recent events both personal and professional in the life of the diva, this is the definitive biography of the woman who captivated the music world of the early fifties and became a star.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pop/soul singer Franklin refuses to discuss publicly her private life. "There are few singing stars who could get away with such a small degree of personal exposure and still retain their popularity," notes Bego ( Linda Gray ) of a woman whose pain and passion can be heard in songs that have earned her 14 Grammys in a career spanning three decades. Unfortunately, the author's interviews here with those close to the performer, such as Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler and Arista Records president Clive Davis, are so unrevealing that he focuses on Franklin's music rather than her personality, offering a discography and album-by-album analysis. There is a detailed discussion of Franklin's career, which began in Detroit in the 1950s when she sang gospel music in church, then progressed to jazz, blues and later soul and pop music styles. Readers will learn more about the "queen" in her recordings than in these pages. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Bego's detail-laden effort could well stand as the definitive reading of the Queen of Soul's life and career, barring an objective account by Her Majesty herself. But while certainly interesting, Aretha's life does not lend itself to the in-print excitement that, say, a Jerry Lee Lewis or a Keith Moon might inspire. Indeed, so much of Franklin's life is shrouded by a veil of privacy that it was a real challenge for Bego to unearth as much as he did. Although he obviously reveres his subject, he nevertheless displays a good reporter's fearlessness in revealing less-than-complimentary aspects of Franklin's life. He occasionally gets bogged down with minutiae (especially when writing about recording sessions), but his overall performance is good. Recommended for popular music collections.
- David M. Turkalo, Social Law Lib., Boston
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (January 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312028636
• ISBN-13: 978-0312028633
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,427,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Rhythm & Blues

More About the Author

Mark Bego is the author of 56 books on rock & roll and show business, including two "New York Times" Best Sellers, a "Los Angeles Times" Best Seller, and a "Chicago Tribune" Best Seller, three multi-million-sellers, and two half-million selling titles. With over 10 million books in print, he is acknowledged as the best-selling biographer in the rock and pop music field. His latest book is his 2010 memoir about his career as an author, entitled "Paperback Writer." His show business biographies have included the life stories of some of the biggest stars of ROCK (Elton John, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers, Three Dog Night, Billy Joel), SOUL (Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston), POP (Sonny & Cher, The Monkees, Sade, Barry Manilow), and COUNTRY (George Strait, Patsy Cline, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill). He has also written about film and television stars as well (Rock Hudson, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, Matt Damon, The Marx Brothers.

One of the most exciting books of Bego's career is his recent biography on Elton John. The book was released in June of 2009 by Hannibal books of Austria. Published in the German language under the title "Elton John: Die Story," it has been heralded in the media as "the ultimate Elton John" biography by "Manner Magazine." The book was published by Phoenix Books in America under the title "Elton John: The Bitch is Back" (2009), and in England and Australia with the title "The Elton John Story" from JR Books in London that same year. It will be published in Denmark and in Russia as well.

Thanks to Hannibal Books, in 2009 Mark had a great year in German language bookstores. As he explains it, "Not only has Hannibal published my 'Elton John: Die Story,' they also published the German language reprint of my Tina Turner book, under the title 'Tina Turner: Die Biographie.' In addition, they also published a German language exclusive: 'Whitney Houston: Die Biographie.'" All three books are available internationally through German Amazon.com and they are also distributed to bookstores throughout Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The Whitney and Tina books were released in October 2009. In 2011 Mark is due to update his critically acclaimed book, "Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul," internationally.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forever a Queen, September 4, 2002

By 

derrick Bogan (Brooklyn, N.y) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aretha Franklin: The Queen Of Soul (Paperback)

After reading Ms. Frankin's lackluster autobiography, it was almost refreshing to read an unbiased account of the legendary life and career of this soul matriarch. This book is very detailed in tracking the career of Ms. Franklin and tells of the accolades as well as the lowpoints in her career. I found most comical the section in relation to Aretha's infamous fashion sense, but ultimately appauled by that tasteless photo of her in a one peice bathing suit with fishnet stockings showing her backside in concert. How disgusting was that!
I, too, hailed the Queen after her riveting performance of "Nessum Dorma" on the 1998 Grammys and I continue to follow her career in hopes that her legacy continues to be upheld with the upmost respect. I hope that in twenty years, the author can add another update of amazing accomplishments to this edition. Good read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, July 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Aretha Franklin: The Queen Of Soul (Paperback)

This book is a great disappointment! Bego's sequel to The Queen of Soul happens to be nothing more than what he clips from past articles! If you value your money, don't buy this book. Because all you will read is his first book on her and just old articles about her.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly written bio. . ., November 10, 2006

By 

Danniray99 "Danniray" (Expatriate in Germany) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Aretha Franklin: The Queen Of Soul (Paperback)

Mark Bego's bio of the Queen of Soul is largely a rehash of other articles, reviews, etc. previously published about Aretha Franklin, although he does uncover a few behind-the-scenes tidbits here and there. Mr. Bego is obviously a big fan of Ms. Franklin and he wears several hats throughout the book: fashion critic, music and concert reviewer, and general arbiter of style and personal taste. Indeed, Bego is not afraid to criticize the Queen for her often disastrous and horribly embarrassing forays into fashion--in one photograph, the Queen of Soul is dressed in a one-piece bathing suit and glittery fishnet stockings, showing off her hefty backside to the audience--this is a photo that will at once make you cringe and laugh! (I also remember a TV clip of her in a black tutu, white tights and ballet slippers while covering Vanessa Williams' hit "Save the Best for Last" ). Mr. Bego's writing, however, is often silly, slipshod and redundant--just barely competent enough to hold one's attention.

Nevertheless, Mr. Bego's portrait of Ms. Franklin reveals an enormously talented, engaging musician who is nonetheless sad, sloppy and undisciplined in almost every other area of her life. Bego provides salacious details and commentary about her relatively well-off but tragic childhood (her father was notorious and wealthy, a street-wise and worldly preacher man who financed her first forays into secular music, but her mother abandoned the family and died before Ms. Franklin was 10); her shocking, early-teen motherhood (she gave birth to her first child at age 13 and had two more children before she was 18!); her legendary weight problems; her serial romantic failures and her failure to promptly pay creditors. Mr. Bego's book is probably the best we can do for now, since Ms. Franklin has categorically refused to divulge anything of substance about her life (and has obviously admonished others close to her to do the same). It will probably be a while before a much more accomplished writer comes along to do what cannot be done in Ms. Franklin's lifetime: give a fully balanced and well-written account of her life and times.