But Whitney always remained quiet on the subject. They [the doc filmmakers] changed our world. Later, during his Ivy League college years at the University of Pennsylvania, he served as choir director for Scranton's Bethel AME Church. Although Arendt wasnt familiar with the Muscle Shoals backstory previously, he loved learning how the dots connect to the soundtrack of his life. I met her. Sort of. I had a conversation with her son while she was performing on stage a few feet away. This was back in my concert security guard The Sweet Inspirations was founded by former members of The Drinkard Singers, a long-running Gospel singing group whose membership included Cissy Houston (ne Drinkard), mother of Whitney Houston, and Lee Warwick, who was Cissy's sister and the mother of Sweet Inspirations members Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick. The concert documentary Amazing Grace, chronicling the making of the album of the same name, was released posthumously soon after Franklin's death in 2018. Aretha Franklins first baby, Clarence, was fathered by Donald Burke, a boy from her school. Her first vistory was in 1997 for Traditional Gospel Album; her second was in the same category in 1999. As a backup group, the Sweet Inspirations was in high demand among producers, publishers, artists, and songwriters in the early 1960s. Aretha was ranked #1 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, and she was the first female artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The session produced the group's biggest R&B hit in some time. Hall was the architect of Muscle Shoals signature country-funk sound. She had Cissy Houston with her, 81 years old, the original Sweet Inspiration. First, she was quite open about her struggles with body image and eating disorders. She began to sing in her father's church and accompany him on gospel caravan tours. While the Impressions were known for overtly religious themes, Mayfield's work as a solo artist touched on these sensibilities, sometimes with caustic wit, as seen via the lyrics to his single, "(Don't Worry) If There Is a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go." Smith was replaced with Los Angeles-based singer Kelly Jones; as of March 2011[update], the Sweet Inspirations are continuing to perform backup vocals with Elvis: The Concert and continue to do many concerts worldwide with Elvis Presley Enterprises' first ever "Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist", Shawn Klush,[9] sometimes as a duo and other times as a trio. There's the classic method of sending demo tapes to record labels with the hopes that an exec will like what they hear and offer a record deal. There she met Sam Cooke, who introduced Aretha to music-industry executives. It was Starr who handed Carey's demo to then-chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Tommy Mottola (Carey's first husband), launching her superstar career, according to New Jersey 105.1. Aretha Franklin Arendt was struck by how well researched Camalier, a commercial real estate agent by trade then, and Badger, his college buddy and now the CEO of Mars Candy Company, were on the subject of Shoals music. The Swampers -- bassist David Hood, drummer Roger Hawkins, guitarist Jimmy Johnson, keyboardist Barry Beckett -- were happy to remain in the background and just help make hits. The Pioneers of Racing: Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles, Por Que? In many ways a traditional stylist, Legend has constructed a sound that has fused soul, hip-hop, gospel, pop, jazz, and Broadway, cementing his status as a contemporary crooner with an appeal to a large adult audience. Once back in the U.S., her condition continued to deteriorate, as she suffered kidney failure, further complicated by a severe stroke. Ryan Seacrest has been the host of the show for many years.