2011: Aretha Franklin

Lady Soul: The Life and Music of Aretha Franklin

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) will honor Aretha Franklin, one of the most important soul singers in the history of rock and roll music, during the 16th annual American Music Masters® series. We will feature lectures, interviews, a professional development workshop, K-12 classes and films during the week culminating on Saturday, November 5 with a conference at the Rock Hall and a tribute concert at the State Theatre in PlayhouseSquare.

WEEK OF EVENTS: October 31 - November 5

FREE - Monday, October 31 at 7 p.m. - Rock and Roll Night School: A Spotlight on Aretha Franklin in the Rock Hall's Foster Theater on the 4th floor. This event will also be streamed live on rockhall.com.

Tuesday, November 1 at 7 p.m. - An Evening with the Blind Boys of Alabama on the Rock Hall's Main Stage. This event will feature a live performance from the Blind Boys of Alabama (pictured, left) as well as an interview. The Blind Boys of Alabama are recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music. Tickets are $15 and on sale now.

FREE with RSVP - Wednesday, November 2 at 4:30 p.m. - Teachers Rock with Summer of Sisterhood: The Soul of Cleveland Girls in the Rock Hall's "Eat to the Beat" on the 3rd floor. Join us for a special workshop celebrating the legacy of Aretha Franklin, with special guests from the West Side Community House's Summer of Sisterhood program. This workshop is designed for teachers and educators around Northeast Ohio. Email education@rockhall.org or call (216) 515-8426 to RSVP.

FREE with RSVP - Wednesday, November 2 at 7 p.m. - Hall of Fame Series with Spooner Oldham in the Rock Hall's Foster Theater. Oldham (pictured, right) played keyboards on Aretha Franklin's first five albums for Atlantic Records: I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Aretha Arrives, Lady Soul, Aretha Now, and Soul '69. Reservations can be made by clicking here or at the Rock Hall Box Office. This event will also be streamed live on rockhall.com.

FREE - Thursday, November 3 at 7 p.m. - " 'Rolling in the Deep': Aretha Franklin and the Makings of Modern Black Womanhood" - Keynote Lecture by Daphne Brooks, Professor of English and African-American Studies, Princeton University at Case Western Reserve University's Ford Auditorium, 10900 Euclid Ave. This lecture explores the rich and diverse complexities of Aretha Franklin's musical artistry--from her early recording career at Columbia Records in the early 1960s to her pop breakthrough later that decade, and it considers new ways in which to read Ms. Franklin's virtuosity as both a vocalist and instrumentalist as a form of sonic black feminism.

Saturday, November 5 from 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. - American Music Masters Conference in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Foster Theater. A reflection on the career of Aretha Franklin and her impact on rock and roll music. The conference will feature rare film footage presented by documentary filmmaker and archivist Joe Lauro of Historic Films, as well as interviews with Cissy Houston and Bernard Purdie, both long-time friends and collaborators of Franklin's. Tickets are on sale now. Admission to the Museum is free with the purchase of a conference ticket. Portions of this event will be streamed live on rockhall.com.

Saturday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. - Tribute Concert at PlayhouseSquare's State Theatre Tribute concert artists include Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Dennis Edwards (of the Temptations), Ronald Isley (of the Isley Brothers), and Spooner Oldham, as well as 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominee Chaka Khan, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Jerry Butler, Patti Austin, Kris Bowers, Carla Cook, Melinda Doolittle, Mike Farris and Cissy Houston. Tickets are $30, $40 and $50. Tickets are available at the PlayhouseSquare box office, by calling (216) 241-6000, or by visiting www.playhousesquare.org. A limited number of Rock Hall VIP event packages starting at $250 are available by calling (216) 515-1207.

(pictured, l-r: Patti Austin, Chaka Khan, Jerry Butler)

TICKET INFORMATION

The tribute concert will be held Saturday, November 5, at 7:30 p.m. at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theater in Cleveland. Click here for more information.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Tickets are $30, $40 and $50. Tickets will be available at the PlayhouseSquare box office, by calling (216) 241-6000, or by clicking here. A limited number of Rock Hall VIP event packages starting at $250 are available by calling (216) 515-1207 or via the VIP package form.