How Ed Sullivan left Aretha Franklin in tears
The iconic ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin had a one-of-a-kind talent. Franklin was the epitome of talent and greatness, from her unmatched vocal range to her smooth performances brimming with confidence. On top of that, she was a unique force in the realm of musical artistry, her voice alone achieving the seemingly impossible feat of appearing both delicate and unbreakable.
During her tenure, Franklin gifted us with a repertoire of timeless hits that defied genre boundaries, from the empowering anthem ‘Respect’ to the soul-stirring ballad ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’. Positioned as one of the greatest vocalists in history, she crafted a legacy so profound that finding someone even remotely comparable to her achievements seems unlikely.
Throughout her life, Franklin was also a significant figure in the civil rights movement, showing up and offering support whenever people needed it the most. Her anthem ‘Respect’, for example, became a song for the people, a rallying cry for change in an increasingly misogynistic and racist environment. However, despite her endless successes and outstanding contributions to the betterment of socio-political causes, Franklin wasn’t immune to ill-treatment herself.
Franklin was once scheduled to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, a show that boasted many big names, including Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Despite becoming a well-deserved multi-award winner and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she was once dropped from the show without any sense of reasoning other than something that seemed entirely trivial.
“I was supposed to be on the Ed Sullivan Show, and I was indeed there and gowned and everything, and then I was bumped from the show,” the singer explained during a CBC interview. “While we were rehearsing, I heard a voiceover say, ‘Her gown is too low. Get her off the stage and put her in another gown.’ I thought, no problem, I’d brought about four gowns. I went and got one that went all the way up to the neck, and then I came back, and my agent told me I’d been bumped off the show.”
She added, “‘What? I’m not gonna sing?’ ‘No, unfortunately, you’ve been bumped off the show.’ And I just went out of the side door crying all the way down the side street. How could Ed Sullivan do this to me? After all of the rehearsal that we had gone through and everything. Nothing.”
Fortunately, Franklin’s dismissal from the show had little to no impact on her legacy or career, as she still became one of the defining voices in music and a fierce force in the realm of political progression. Franklin will always be remembered for her musical excellence, of course, but she will also continue to be praised for her dignity and endurance during some of the most prejudiced periods of history.
