In 1971, in the afterglow of the counterculture and civil rights movements of the '60s, Aretha Franklin performed three nights at the Fillmore West concert hall in San Francisco.
World Cafe correspondent John Morrison says the subsequent live album, Aretha Live at Fillmore West, perfectly captures the energy of that moment in time.
"It feels like you are witnessing somebody tap into a sense of optimism, a sense of potential," he says.
On the latest installment of World Cafe's Culture Corner, Morrison explains how you can also hear Franklin's own story come through on this live album.
"She grew up in the Baptist Church in Detroit, and you can hear that beautiful Midwest gospel all over her singing but also her piano playing."
This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Kimberly Junod. Our digital producer is Miguel Perez. World Cafe's engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.
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