Foxtel Smooth and Foxtel Arts will celebrate the life and music of the trail-blazing ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin who passed away overnight from pancreatic cancer at age 76.
The first woman admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, the music superstar had 88 Billboard chart hits, sold over 75 million records and won 18 Grammy awards, including best female R&B performance for eight years in a row as well as the Legend Award in 1991 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994.
She was also the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005), the National Medal of Arts (1999) and the Kennedy Center Honors(1994).
Over the course of a career that spanned more than half a century, Ms Franklin’s gospel-rooted singing and bluesy delivery not only topped the charts, but became instant classics with songs including ‘Respect,’ ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,’ ‘I Say A Little Prayer’, and ‘Think’.
Foxtel’s tribute to Aretha Franklin commences today from 2.30pm on Foxtel Smooth featuring Remembering Aretha, a collection of the gifted vocalist’s hit songs including ‘Respect, ‘Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves’ and ‘Freeway of Love’.
Tonight on Foxtel Arts, Rock Legends: Aretha Franklin at 6:30pm followed by Aretha Franklin at 7.00pm, a special that reflects on the life of the undisputed Queen of Soul, who has inspired generations with her songs.
At 8pm, Aretha Franklin: Queen Of Soul, a collection of the very best of Aretha’s music video clips and all programs will be encored across the weekend only on Foxtel.
Fraser Stark, General Manager of Foxtel’s Arts and Music Channels, said, “The world has lost a legendary iconic talent in Aretha Franklin who wrote, as well as gave her voice to, some of the world’s favourite songs. From this afternoon and across the weekend Foxtel Smooth and Foxtel Arts will be paying their R.E.S.P.E.C.T. to the superstar through a line-up of performances and TV biographies. We will celebrate a life lived fully, that much-loved powerful voice and a songbook that remains for the ages.”
Rock Legends: Aretha Franklin, will encore tonight at 8:30pm and Aretha Franklin at 9pm on Foxtel Arts and tomorrow, Saturday August 18 at 9am on Foxtel Smooth and Sunday August 19 on Foxtel Arts.
Aretha Franklin: Queen Of Soul encored tonight at 10pm on Foxtel Arts and Sunday August 19 at 11am and 6pm on Foxtel Smooth.Remembering Aretha, encored tomorrow at 8:45am and 5pm on Foxtel Smooth.
