A visibly enthralled—and much younger—Mick Jagger is among the many people who packed the New Bethel Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January, 1972.
The "bad boy" rock star—like all the others—had come to hear Aretha Franklin.
And who could blame them? After all, it’s not every day you get a chance to see the inimitable famous vocalist perform in such an intimate venue.
Having grown up with a famous Baptist minister as a father, Aretha learned to sing as a child in his church. And after racking up countless hit songs and awards in the pop world, she decided to return to her roots, and produce a live gospel album in 1972.
From the first note, the talented soulful singer commanded the attention of every person in the packed church.
Backed by spirited choir conductor 'Brother' Alexander Hamilton and the Southern California Community Choir, Aretha sang and took turns playing piano with her childhood friend, the Rev. James Cleland, who encouraged audience members to “give in to the spirit.” Many appeared on the verge of levitating out of their pews, and after a time, some surrendered and spontaneously leapt to their feet, overcome with a need to dance.
At one point, the good Reverend had to be replaced with another pianist as he put his head down and wept in the pew.
Aretha’s father, the renowned C. L. Franklin himself, appeared, and spoke of Aretha’s “gift,” adding that she and Rev. Cleland had “spent hours learning music” at the Franklin home in her youth.
While definitely present in the physical sense, Aretha seemed to be channelling her distinctive voice from the angels, covering a heavenly range of octaves and hymns, from ages-old standards to Marvin Gaye’s Wholy Holy.
Audience members, choir members and Aretha frequentlyclosed their eyes, letting waves of music wash over them with unmistakable expressions of rapture.
And as sweat poured from many brows—including that of Queen Aretha herself, directors Alan Elliott and Sydney Pollack were hired by Warner Brothers to capture every drop of it; each immortal note and nuance from the two-day songfest, on film.
Called Amazing Grace, the result, according to Justin Chang of the LA Times, was “one of the most acclaimed albums of her career, and one of the most elusive projects of all time, full of twists and turns that would have made Orson Welles order a stiff drink.”
The soundtrack from Amazing Grace became the best-selling gospel album of all time.
The film is refreshingly authentic, to the point of including temporary technical difficulties, and re-takes. But despite this, it’s aptly named.
Now playing at The Film House at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines, you can catch Amazing Grace on May 22, 24, 25, and 26, with seats ranging in price from $7 to $9.50.
The centre is preparing to announce its new season with a launch on May 29 and May 30, featuring live performances by special surprise guests, light refreshments, prizes, gifts, and more.
The PAC is located at 250 St. Paul Street. Book your seats online, or call the box office at 905-688-0722.
