Aretha: Queen of Soul

Aretha is a character doll for collectors age 8 and up. She is 22" tall. Aretha will be part of an art gallery exhibit scheduled for March 1 - April 30, 2013. She can be purchased during or after the exhibit.

About Aretha

Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Baptist preacher Reverend Clarence La Vaughan "C.L." Franklin, and Barbara Siggers Franklin, a gospel singer. While still a young child, Aretha moved with her family to Detroit, Michigan, where C.L. became renowned as the preacher at Detroit's New Bethel Baptist Chuch. Largely self-taught, Aretha was regarded as a child prodigy. A gifted pianist with a powerful voice, Franklin sang in front of her father's Detroit congregation. By the age of 14, she recorded some of her earliest tracks at the church. Since then, her recording career has spanned over half a century, with a repertoire that has included gospel, jazz, blues, R&B, pop, rock and funk. Aretha is known as one of the most important popularizers of the soul music genre and is known as the Queen of Soul. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" list, as well as the ninth greatest artist of all time. She has won a total of 20 career Grammy Awards, including two honorary Grammys, and she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Exerpts from Wikipedia.)

Aretha, live

How Aretha was made

Aretha's body is made in the MakerDoll Medium Size, from 100% organic, hand-dyed (“natural”) cotton fabric, grown and woven in the USA. Her arm joints are secured with vintage rhinestone buttons and cotton embroidery thread. Her clothes are handmade in a MakerDoll original gown design, from repurposed silver-flocked red stretch fabric. She also has a faux fur stole with a rhinestone-studded star-shaped pin. Her shoes are red velvet with tiny roses on the toes, cut in reference to the shoes Aretha loves to wear while performing. Aretha's facial features are handpainted with professional grade acrylic paints. Her hair is made of flocked yarn, hand-sewn onto her head with cotton thread.