Aretha Franklin Upset at Beyonce Referring to Tina Turner as the Queen at Grammys

This is an awful sight. For God’s sake, someone get Ms. Franklin a personal trainer….

Okay, Aretha Franklin, a true diva in her own rights, has displayed some diva-ish behavior at the recent Grammys. First it was Natalie Cole criticizing Amy Winehouse’s sweep and now Aretha Franklin is miffed at Beyonce for referring to music great Tina Turner as the Queen. Beyonce left out the names of a whole lot of better singers than some of the names she mentioned. Prominent singers missing from her list included Patti Labelle and Nancy Wilson, to name two. Are they going to jump on the bandwagon and show how upset they are not being included in that list? I think not.

Here’s what rubbed Miss Franklin the wrong way…..

Beyonce, Aretha Franklin would like you to know there’s only one queen in this music kingdom.
Beyonce raised a few eyebrows during Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, reciting a seemingly scripted line that introduced music legend Tina Turner as “the queen.” That completely pissed Aretha Franklin off. She has long been known as the Queen of Soul. Aretha has said in a statement that“I am not sure whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyonce.” “However I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy.“In addition to that, I thank the Grammys and the voting academy for my 20th Grammy and love to Beyonce anyway.” She won a Grammy for the best gospel performance for “Never Gonna Break My Faith,” her duet with Mary J. Blige.

Wasn’t Tina Turner loosely nicknamed “the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” through her lengthy career, even releasing a 1984 concert film of the same name? Also in 1975, she turned in a memorable performance in the Who’s musical film “Tommy,” where she played the role of the Acid Queen.

I am not going to diss Aretha because she has truly made a name for herself and her accolades certainly reinforce that fact, but girl, don’t take it so personal next time. Beyonce read what she saw on the script. You have got to admit, Tina Turner still looks good and way better than Aretha Franklin does. Take a deep breath Aretha and exhale. It is to going to be alright. Stop being so jealous and touchy. Nobody can take your contribution to R&B and gospel away from you.

Filed under: Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Grammy Awards, Nancy Wilson, Patti Labelle, Tina Turner

Jazz Great Herbie Hancock Takes Grammy for Album of the Year

While this is scarely news at this point, it is no less historical. Jazz great Herbie Hancock took the Grammy award for album of the year for “River: The Joni Letters.” I watched the Grammy Awards in its entirety last night, the first time in many years because previously it was lackluster and not worth the time of day. I must admit the performances for the most part were good and I was glad to see Tina Turner belt out her hits, along with “Proud Mary,” with Beyonce who did pretty good. Did you guys see the stare she gave Rihanna when she pulled Jay-Z on stage? I wonder what that’s all about? Rumor has it that there was a fling involved. I don’t know and really don’t care, but I did notice the look on Beyonce’s face.

So Fox News managed to totally bury Herbie Hancock’s historic album of the year win in favor of drug-head Amy Winehouse. The irony in this is that she was really singing about herself in both songs. Though she went to rehab eventually, my guess is that was not her first choice. Okay, the songs may be catchy and infused with R&B, but come on, Herbie Hancock deserves more credit for what he has managed to achieve. Reports have said that this is a straight jazz album, not exactly your typical radio-friendly multiplatinum hit. In the history of the Grammys, only one pure jazz album, Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s 1964 “Getz/Gilberto” won album of the year. This is historical for Hancock as we celebrate Black History Month. He is a musical giant who has made a difference in the world of jazz music.

Hancock says “River: The Joni Letters” came about because of a suggestion from Verve executive Dahlia Ambach Caplin, who asked what Hancock was going to do for his next jazz record following 2006’s somewhat pop recording, “Possibilities.” Knowing about Hancock’s friendship with Mitchell, the idea came up of doing an album of Mitchell songs, many of which have jazz underpinnings.

So, hats off to Herbie Hancock on a job well done. I hope Amy Winehouse will get some real help and not a bandaid solution to her drug problems. I don’t believe in giving up on anyone and you must admit, the girl can sing.

Filed under: Amy Winehouse, Fox News, Grammy Awards, Herbie Hancock, Jazz