The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, continues to earn honors posthumously. It’s been announced the late soul legend will be inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.
Franklin, who passed away on August 16th from pancreatic cancer at the age of 76, was born in Memphis, Tennessee and lived there until she was two years old before her family moved to Detroit.
The induction ceremony will take place on November 1st and feature six other Memphis-related musicians, including Rock and soul group The Box Tops, gospel artist O’Landa Draper, R&B singer-songwriter Eddie Floyd, rockabilly pioneers The Rock and Roll Trio, Memphis rappers 8Ball & MJG, and radio personality George Klein, a close friend of the late Elvis Presley.
John Doyle, executive director of the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum and the Hall of Fame, tells USA Today that the committee had been wanting to induct Franklin for the past 3 years, but kept delaying due to her busy schedule. They decided to honor her earlier this year regardless, after they heard she was seriously ill. “We’d been talking to her and her people and they were excited about it, but it was all about her schedule,” he said.
The event will take place at Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, and according to Doyle, will feature a star-studded concert.
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