I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You Aretha Franklin, Respect, and the Making of a Soul Music Masterpiece

The album that earned soul legend Aretha Franklin her first major hits, "I Never Loved A Man the Way I Love You" was a pop and soul music milestone. Apart from its status as a hit record, the album also had a much wider cultural impact. By early 1967, when it was released, the Civil Rights movement was well underway; Aretha's music gave it its theme song. And the single "Respect" became a passionate call to arms for the burgeoning feminist movement. Dobkin has unearthed a wonderful story of the creation of an album that goes far beyond anything that's been written about The Queen of Soul before. With scores of fresh interviews including ones with the session musicians from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, who recorded with Aretha, I Never Loved A Man the Way I Love You is the story of a great artistic achievement. It's also a biography of a star who is both more complex and determined than her modern image as a diva indicates.

Matt Dobkin is the author of Getting Opera. He is the former classical music editor at Time Out New York, and his work has appeared in New York magazine, Bazaar, Out, and a variety of other publications. He lives in New York City.