Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin moving back to Detroit
CHICAGO: Aretha Franklin, who has reigned as the Queen of Soul for some 50 years, has announced plans to return to her hometown of Detroit and open a nightclub.
The chart-topping Motown legend will not have to travel far: she currently lives in a suburb near the Motor City that gave birth to her musical career in the 1960s.
The 75-year-old told the Detroit Free Press newspaper she wanted to open a nightclub in downtown Detroit during her retirement where she would occasionally perform.
“From time to time I would sing,” said the voice behind such iconic hits as the feminist-tinged “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”
“I would have special artistes come in to perform for the city that people in Detroit like — Detroit favourites,” she told the newspaper, adding that the club would naturally be called “Aretha’s”.
Franklin, who has won 18 Grammys, told the newspaper this would be her “last year in concert.”
She had announced a pending retirement earlier this year, but only after finishing a final album featuring award-winning singer Stevie Wonder.
In recent years she has cancelled a number of concerts.
Last year she said doctors had ordered her not to perform due to an unspecified condition. The superstar separately pointed to problems with her back-up band for scrapping a small tour. — AFP