Aretha Franklin’s First 12 Sides: You Have To Hear Them

In 1960 and 1961 Aretha Franklin recorded her first 12 sides. Well, she had – at the age of 14 – released a gospel album (in the mid 1950s). But at 18 she walked in to the studio and laid down some tracks; two sets of sessions – she was making songs to exist as singles; primarily they were for the jukebox trade of the day.

She played piano on some of the…