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E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
Who is the Real Queen of Soul?
It depends who you ask, apparently. According to Beyonce, who introduced the big-haired powerhouse at Sunday night's Grammy Awards, it's Tina Turner.
"There is one legend who has the essence of all of those things: the glamor, the soul, the passion, the strength, the talent," said the Destiny's Child diva, as she introduced Turner's performance. "Ladies and gentlemen. Stand on your feet and give it up for the queen."
Aretha Franklin, who has heretofore laid claim to the title, is not taking this lightly, issuing a fiery rebuttal through her publicist shortly thereafter. "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," she said, "However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy."
While the words “of soul” did not appear in Beyonce's script, it was still too close for Franklin's comfort, apparently. This distinction does not appear to have been lost on Knowles' father and manager, however, who issued his own snappy statement today.
“Beyonce referred to Tina as a ‘queen'. Not queen of gospel, queen of soul, queen of blues, Queen of England,” said Mathew Knowles, who didn't specify what his daughter meant Turner was the queen of.
Tina Turner may have ruled the Thunderdome, but it seems that for the moment, at least, Aretha Franklin remains the Queen of Soul.