I’m so loving this throwback photo of the one and only Aretha Franklin. The pic was taken back in 1961 when she was rehearsing for an upcoming show and she is pictured with famed choreographer Cholly Atkins (1913 – 2003).
Aretha (who was just 19 years-old at the time this photo was taken), would go on to break records, release hit after hit and get the title ‘The Queen of Soul’.
The living legend is now 67 years-old and is still performing and trendsetting (Presidential Inauguration, anyone?). More photos of Aretha in the studio back in the early 60s below. She was rockin’ that leotard, huh?
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All throughout ‘Black History Month’, Concrete Loop will be posting throwback photos of legendary Icons in Black History. Keep checking back for new ones.
Wonderful. She’s a legend.
ANGEL I AM LOVING THEM ALL, SHE WAS SOOO PRETTY! THNX FOR THESE PICS…
Mama ReRe was baaaad back in the day. I guess at some point everyone’s grandmom was fine, huh? Queen of Soul, these buffalo wings are for you!
I’m glad Angel posted throwback photos of The Queen of Soul. People always talking sideways about her now since she got big in old age. We forget she opened a lot of doors. Shit she was rocking those leotards before She-who-not-be-named made them “famous”.
I dig the throwback feature.
Damn!!! What happened? She was so beautiful!
Throwback pics.. Are Great..Thanks
She is still the Queen of Soul
@ 5. She still looks the same in the face, she just got fat. It happens to the best of them. She is damn near 70 years-old. DisRESPECTful (no pun intended)
beautiful !!!
@5 LMFAOOOO….thats was mean but funny…
GET it Retha…she looks good in these pics.
wow!! what happened now? she let herself get to this point!!
hope that doesnt happen to beyonce! she has curves now, like how aretha had.
Aretha is a legend thought!. Gotta give it 2 her.
Aretha was looking good back in the day!!! Gotta love the Queen of Soul, the woman can SANG and she is a LEGEND, her weight does not change that fact!!!
Aretha was bad!!!!
I am loving these throwback photos, thanks Concrete Loop. As for the Queen Aretha (love her) am I the only one who thinks her body shape is eerily like Beyonce’s, especially in the first picture? Considering Aretha’s look today…well I’m not even going to put that thought in the universe!
I LOVE what you guys are doing with these retro pictures lately. Sometimes our generation do know exactly where we have come from (class).
wow i never seen aretha so skinny she had an fantastic shape
Oh my.
Dont disrespect the queen. she was fly back then and is a old lady now, thats what happened. as people age, they gain weight.
Auntie Re Says ROCKin Steady BABY!
I love Aretha Franklin – I just wish black people could learn to appreciate somebody for something more than just -
1-Singing
2-Dancing
3-Money
Sheesh!!!!
Aretha!! like none other!
Beautiful. She did a lot and worked at young age, which is what a lot of singers/musicians/dancers/actresses need to realize, they’re not the only ones who have put time in so, when a person’s daddy made a mistake with his comment about the Queen of Soul (which we ALL gave to Ms. Aretha) understand how disrespectful it was of him.
LMAO… Beyonce & Alicia Keys… look at Aretha Franklin then, and look at her now. There is your future… tig ol bitties & obesity. kidding, kidding..
Miss Aretha is truly a legend. Powerful voice. She could dance. AND she played piano. True artistry right there. Respect.
I’ll admit Aretha looks better, but there was never really anything beautiful about her cabbage patch face, and folklore eye-brows.
@ #4
Isn’t it a reason Aretha didn’t make it famous? That person you failed to mention looks much better in them than Aretha do.
Im loving the throwback pics.. Aretha looked nice.
ReRe always brings me joy! her voice and I love seeing old picture of her
Wow! She looked GOOD! Work it out Ms. Aretha!
oh yes i am a child of the 60′s and 70′s sound . and i wouldn’t trade places for nothing in the world……. singers of the day brought “the heat” it was a blessed distraction of what black america was going though in them turbulant times. because you have these folks going around hollering revolution and have never known what its like to be oppressed, calling themselves tea party people…… and if you would only go back in time ti the 60′s these folks were called the white citizens counsel. its the same thing don’t believe me roll film of the 60′s news stations and you will see there is no difference. these folks believed blacks didn’t deserve human rights less lone civil rights……. its black heritage month , and i don’t want to be long-winded but back in the 60′s when black folk had to organize and march for civil rights the same thing these red state folks are organizing and doing. this here same gov’t and the guidance of [ J. EDGAR HOOVER ] DECLARED WAR…… on the black movement. and unleashed all of the law enforcements around the country to “destory” all subversives that speaks of change and wanting this gov’t to treat black folks as human…. the same thing these tea party folks are doing… the black panther organized groups to fed the hungary and teach black folks to hold your head up etc…. and what happened? there was a man named FRED HAMPTON who life was TOOK one day under a hail of bullets as he slept… 2 other men was in the house as bullets rained in on that house . the of them took off his white tee-shirt for surrender and got naked and told the other guy to get naked that if he didn’t they [the law] were going to kill him. he would not take off his clothes and they waved that white t-shirt 1 walked out buck naked he lived the one w/ clothes they killed….. all over the country this system was searching and destorying anyone who they deemed trouble makers and subversives,,,,,the tea party white folks are doing the same thing…… and its OK… i choose the fred h. story cause of the callousness that this gov’t put black folk through. we’ve come a long way . there are so many more horrible story that happen to our black folks…… this is why you get tired . cause in the 60′s —70′s 80′s 90′s and in the 21st century.its the same ol chant from the so-called black -leaders its JOBS-JOBS-JOBS .. IT SHOULD come a point where black folk must realize if we don’t do this ourselves it not going to happen. just read the history of Madame C.J. WALKER and how she responded to the white oppression….. or what happened in tulsa ok….. black and rnb singers your music and stk was a god send….. sorry i for the long winded blog. ill try to do better.
She is beautiful!
OMG! I love it!
you took my long-winded blog down. so be it…………… i dig you drift
Love the pictures!!!
Aretha is the *Queen of Soul*
Love her she looks beautiful!!
…And see everyone beyonce is not the first to rock leotards lol.
And the stans will go crazy in 1 2 3….
@22
Well maybe you need to put up your pic then and let us see if your beautiful.
What a cutie! Aretha was fit back in the day!
…So why do people have a problem with stuff like leotards being worn on stage now if it was being done back then? *shrugs* and lets be honest with our selves, Beyonce brought leotards back with the “Single Ladies” dance craze. I’m sure back then after Aretha wore it people weren’t going on a leotard craze the way they did when the “Single Ladies” video dropped. Because the video is what really set it off along with the dance routine.
Did Aretha record “Single Ladies” before Beyonce? Why is she trying to steal Beys swagger?
She looked great
Now she’s just the queen of Soul Food!!! Bwahahahahahahaha!!!
I love these black history photos CL! Cosign #3, this is really like finding an old photo of granny to discover she was fly back in the day
#36 please tell me youre joking.
The Queen of Soul is the originator of all that is fierce and fabulous in the realm of r&b. Beyonce is the thief….lol
The proof is in the pic…the QUEEN is wearing that leotard!!
to #38 now u know that’s justt wrong!!! Respect the Queen!!
to #38 now u know that’s justt wrong!!! Respect the Queen!!
Angel, I’ve been waiting for the next one of these! This is great!
She was a beautiful young woman, love her eyebrows on that last pic hawt. Who was calling Bey and Riri names for wearing leotard on stage again? who was it? Coz i can tell she’s definitely rocking a leotard so that means she was selling sex or she was a w**** as well? hmmmm i don’t think it detracted anything form her beauty and talent. she was a very classy LADY wearing a leoterd bcs she was young hot and sexy.
Oh and happy American black history month to u all
*sigh* whatever happened to real music i wonder?
Aretha is almost unrecognizable now
Love Love Love Aretha!
These pics are definately classic..
I play her remake of “Spanish Harlem” like alllll…the time!
Oldies are the still the best goodies i swear!
I heart them!.:)
Everytime my mom see’s Beyonce she always says how fat she’s gonna get when she gets older or get prego cuz you know she got thick thighs…
well anyways everytime I see old photos of Aretha I always think of Beyonce …
Aretha was very pretty back in da day.
Lovin the pics!!! And I’m not trying to be funny, but people on here saying she gets talked about because of her weight… nobody talks about her becasue she gained weight. She’s Aretha and we don’t care about how much she weighs, we still love her. She gets talked about because she lets her cha chas hang out of all of her dresses these days!
Some of the comments on this are just uncalled for, smh.
damn, i didn’t know she had it like that.
she got her single ladies fit on!!!!!!
Very, very nice. You should POST SOMETHING ON PAM GRIER!
MUST WE ALL FORGET WHAT MS. FRANKLIN IS KNOWN FOR? SHE’S THE QUEEN OF SOUL……….SHE’S KNOWN FOR HER VOICE….NEVER FOR FASHION OR HER SIZE, SO FOR ALL THOSE TALKING TRASH ABOUT RE-RE CAN KICK ROCKS……..ALL HAIL THE QUEEN OF SOUL…..NOT QUEEN OF FASHION OR QUEEN OF SIZE! GET IT MS. FRANKLIN.
She was never stick thin, but she really let herself go. She dosent even care, i just dont understand how she eats hotdogs and chicken before performing? Like wtf! Is she greasing the pipes or what?!?
@TROUBLEOH7 – Black people are appreciated for lots of things other than singing, dancing and money. What people who only look at those things fail to realize is that people like Aretha Franklin continued to open the doors that people like Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Dorothy Dandridge, the Nicholas Brothers, Step ‘n Fetchit and countless others stuck their foot in to wedge open. Because of their sacrifices and dedication, other doors have been opened. Without an Aretha Franklin, L.A. Reid, Jay-z and the Dream would not make receive the kind of recognition that they do as songwriters and producers. Furthermore, without an Aretha Franklin, these same men would not sit, as presidents, in the corporate offices of record labels. The recording industry is far more than singing, dancing and money… and Aretha Franklin is part of the reason that Black people can participate fully in it.
The first photo reminds me so much of Beyonce. They had the same figure!
Go ‘retha!
Aretha’s talent is unparalled, and her early rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Water, will break you down.
Yes, #53!! Pam Grier was baaaaad!