Imagine the sound of Sunday service in a church on Detroit's west side, 1956. Singing in the community choir was a 14-year-old girl, the preacher's daughter. The old New Bethel Baptist church was razed to make way for I-94, but the congregation -- where Aretha Franklin learned to sing -- still exists. The Chicago Sun-Times takes a trip to 8430 C.L. Franklin Blvd. to explore New Bethel Baptist's history, where soul music and religion stood hand in hand.
Excerpt:
New Bethel Baptist is arguably America's most important musical church. It demands the same pop culture respect given to
the Rev. Al Green's Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis. When Rev.
Franklin's Chess sermons were played late at night on WLAC out of
Nashville, Tenn., it's not unlikely to think Al Green, James Brown and
other emerging soul stars heard the message on clear channel radio. He
was known as "The Man With the Million Dollar Voice."
Read more about the Queen of Soul's early kingdom here.
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