Watch Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt’s Soul-Filled 1993 Duet
Back in 1993, Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt joined together onstage for a special television performance. Together, the two grooved to Franklin's late-1960s hit "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone);" readers can press play above to watch.
"I can never believe this is happening. You know, it doesn't get any better than Aretha Franklin," Raitt said onstage that night. "I grew up wearing out 45s of "Respect," "Chain of Fools," "I Never Loved a Man" ... "Since You've Been Gone" has always been one of my all-time favorites, and it is the thrill of my lifetime to be here to sing it with her tonight."
"Since You've Been Gone" is a single from Franklin's 1968 Lady Soul album. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 5, where it stayed for five weeks; it also spent three weeks at No. 1 on the R&B Singles chart.
According to the New York Times, Franklin and Raitt's duet was part of an April '93 tribute concert -- dubbed "Aretha Franklin: Duets" -- at New York City's Nederland Theater. The event, a benefit for the AIDS service organization Gay Men's Health Crisis, was taped for broadcast on Fox in May of that same year. In addition to Raitt, the show featured, among others, Smokey Robinson and Elton John.
That evening, Raitt also performed "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" with Franklin and Gloria Estefan. The three women later recorded the song for Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets With the Queen, a 2007 tribute album to Franklin.
Franklin, known as the "Queen of Soul," died on Thursday (Aug. 16) at her home in Detroit, Mich., according to her publicist. She was 76 and was reported to be "gravely ill" earlier in the week. The first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Franklin charted more than 100 singles on Billboard's charts and won 18 Grammy Awards. Her iconic songs include "Respect," "Think" and many more.
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