Aretha Franklin - Young, Gifted & Black (1972)
Tracklist front / back album covers
Side one
1. "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)" 3:42
2. "Day Dreaming" 4:00
3. "Rock Steady" 3:15
4. "Young, Gifted and Black" 3:34
5. "All the King's Horses" 3:56
6. "Brand New Me" 4:26
Side two
7. "April Fools" 3:29
8. "I've Been Loving You Too Long" 3:36
9. "First Snow in Kokomo" 4:04
10. "The Long and Winding Road" 3:38
11. "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" 3:42
12. "Border Song (Holy Moses)" 3:22
Aretha Franklin Band Members / Musicians
Aretha Franklin – lead vocals (all), piano (1-4, 6, 8-12), celesta (5), piano, Fender Rhodes (7)
Cornell Dupree – guitar (2-5, 7-12)
Hugh McCracken – guitar (1, 6)
Don Arnone – acoustic guitar (2)
Donny Hathaway – Hammond organ (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9), piano, Fender Rhodes (2)
Billy Preston – Hammond organ (4, 10, 12)
Chuck Rainey – bass guitar (2-5, 7, 9-12)
Eric Gale – bass guitar (1, 6)
Robert Popwell – bass guitar (8), percussion (3)
Bernard Purdie – drums (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11)
Ray Lucas – drums (4, 10, 12)
Al Jackson Jr. – drums (1, 6)
Dr. John – percussion (3)
The Memphis Horns – horns (3, 8)
Neal Rosengarden – trumpet (9), vibraphone (5)
Hubert Laws – flute (2, 7, 11)
Pat Smith – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7–9, 11)
Carolyn Franklin – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 8-10)
Erma Franklin – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 8-10)
Margaret Branch – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7-11)
Ann S. Clark – backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 7–9, 11)
The Sweet Inspirations – backing vocals (1, 4, 6, 12)
Ronald Bright – backing vocals (12)
J.R. Bailey – backing vocals (12)
Sammy Turner – backing vocals (12)
Young, Gifted and Black is the 18th studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released in early 1972, by Atlantic Records. The album climbed to #2 on Billboard's R&B albums survey and peaked at #11 on the main album chart. It was quickly certified Gold by the RIAA. Its title was cut from "To Be Young, Gifted and Black", recorded and released by Nina Simone in 1969.
Franklin won a 1972 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
In 2003, the TV network VH1 named it the 76th greatest album of all time. In 2020, it was ranked number 388 by Rolling Stone in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
