In an interview released today by The Detroit News, singer Aretha Franklin discussed the possibility of optioning her memoir for the big screen, Broadway, or maybe both. She told the paper she had received a proposal and had spoken to producer and friend Berry Gordy Jr. (Motown the Musical) about the project.
"He has so much experience in the movies and Broadway. And I loved the Motown musical," Franklin said.
Franklin also played and sang Etta James' "At Last" at a piano in Detroit as part of the interview, and you can watch her performance below!
"The Queen of Soul", Franklin started out as a gospel singer, signed to Columbia Records, and eventually jumped on board with Atlantic Records in 1967. She rose to the top of the charts with songs such as "Respect", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "Think". Her albums include I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Lady Soul, Young, Gifted & Black, Amazing Grace and many more. Later on, she signed with Arista Records, made a cameo appearance in The Blues Brothers film, and released the albums Jump to It and Who's Zoomin' Who? In 1998, Franklin released her Top-40 single "A Rose Is Still a Rose".
The singer has won 18 GRAMMY Awards and has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. In 1987 Aretha became the very first woman to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Seven years later, she became the youngest artist to receive the Kennedy Centers Honor.
