That Aretha Franklin, widely acknowledged as the Queen of Soul, is one of the truly iconic figures and distinctive voices in the history of American music is indisputable. Unfortunately, it also appears that her prodigious talent is matched only by an outsize ego and hypersensitivity. During last Sunday's Grammy Awards Ceremony, Beyonce Knowles committed a serious faux pas by hailing Tina Turner as the "Queen" with Franklin sitting in the audience. In a statement released through her publicist, Franklin lashed out at Beyonce:
I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyonce. However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy.
In addition to that, I thank the Grammys and the voting academy for my 20th Grammy and love to Beyonce anyway.
It is safe to say that no serious fan would ever equate Turner with Franklin for their musical contributions, much less claim that the former is the "Queen." But instead of taking the high road and letting others come to her defense, Franklin comes across as someone whose toes were stepped on and ego bruised. Not exactly the sort of behavior one associates with a Queen.
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