Mark Bego

Aretha Franklin: the Queen of Soul Mark Bego

Publisher Marketing:"Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul" documents the beloved singing star s rocky personal life and internationally acclaimed show business career. An in-depth and frank examination of Aretha, this definitive biography traces her career from her beginnings as a twelve-year-old member of a church choir in the early 1950s, recording her first album at the age of fourteen, a major recording contract at eighteen, and stardom in her twenties, right up through her headline-grabbing 2010 health scare, to her triumphant return: singing to her cheering Detroit hometown fans in summer 2011. This "New York Times" bestselling author s detailed research includes interviews with the most important people in Aretha s life, including record producers Jerry Wexler, Clyde Otis, and Clive Davis, her first husband, several of Franklin s singing star contemporaries, and a rare one-on-one session with Aretha herself. Bego s portrayal of the singing sensation is done with clarity and neutrality. A no-holds-barred look at her roller coaster life, it takes her from two teenage pregnancies and an abusive first marriage, to drinking problems, battles with her weight, the murder of her father, and tabloid wars. This critically acclaimed, freshly updated biography will give readers a clear understanding of what makes Aretha Franklin the Queen of Soul. " Review Citations: Booklist 02/01/2012 pg. 21 (EAN 9781616085810, Paperback) - *Starred Review Publishers Weekly 02/27/2012 pg. 78 (EAN 9781616085810, Paperback) Contributor Bio:  Bego, Mark Mark Bego has been called The Number One Bestselling Pop Biographer by Publishers Weekly and has been referred to in the pres as The Prince of Pop Music Bios. He is the author of 58 published books on rock & roll and show business. With over ten million copes of his books in print, Mark Bego has written two New York Times bestselling books and a Chicago Tribune bestseller. Contributor Bio:  Foster, Mel Mel Foster, an audiobook narrator since 2002, won an Audie Award for Finding God in Unexpected Places by Philip Yancey. He has also won several AudioFile Earphones Awards. Best known for mysteries, Mel has also narrated classic authors such as Thoreau, Nabokov, and Whitman.