I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You - by Matt Dobkin (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You: Aretha Franklin, Respect, and the Making of a Soul Music Masterpiece presents the remarkable story of how The Queen of Soul created what Rolling Stone called "the greatest soul album ever made."

The album she recorded that earned soul legend Aretha Franklin her first major hits after eleven previous efforts, I Never Loved A Man the Way I Loved You was a pop and soul music milestone. Apart from its status as a #1 hit record, the album also had a much wider cultural impact. By early 1967, when the album was released, the Civil Rights Movement was well underway; Aretha's music gave it its theme song. And the #1 Billboard pop chart single "Respect"--written by Otis Redding--not only won two Grammys for best R&B recording and best R&B solo female vocal performance, it became a passionate call to arms for the burgeoning feminist movement.

Matt Dobkin has unearthed a wonderful story of the creation of an album that goes far beyond anything that's been written about Aretha before. With scores of interviews--including ones with Atlantic Records' famed producer Jerry Wexler, and the Muscle Shoals session musicians who recorded with Aretha--I Never Loved A Man the Way I Love You is the story of a great artistic achievement. It's also the story of a star who is both more complex and determined than her modern image as a diva indicates.

From the Back Cover

"I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You," Aretha Franklin's first album for Atlantic Records and famed producer Jerry Wexler, was a pop and soul music milestone that jump-started Franklin's languishing career. Almost overnight, Aretha became a top-selling recording artist and a cultural icon. Matt Dobkin has unearthed fascinating details about the recording session in Muscle Shoals, Alabama: about the volatile behavior of Aretha's manager/husband, Ted White; about Aretha's reaction to the lack of black musicians in the session; and about how tempers and alcohol almost derailed the session with only a track and half in the can.

This book goes far beyond anything that's been written about "The Queen of Soul" or her music before. I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY I LOVE YOU is the story of a great achievement and includes scores of fresh interviews, including Wexler, the session men from Muscle Shoals and Aretha's own musicians. It gives insight into a star more complex and determined than her modern diva image would seem to indicate. Aretha, a teenage mother and daughter of a commanding preacher father, rose above her circumstances and transformed them into art. She gave the Civil Rights movement, already well underway in 1967 when the album came out, a passionate call to arms. And with "Respect" she provided the burgeoning feminist movement with an enduring theme song.
The first serious, non-biographical look at Aretha Franklin's work, I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY I LOVE YOU will deepen even ardent fans' understanding of one of the great soul artists of our time, a direct descendant of Bessie Smith and Billie Holliday.

"Effusive writing...about her sublime musicianship and the impact of her songs on feminism and the Civil Rights movement...opens an enlightening window on the creative process."
--Publishers Weekly

Review Quotes

"An enlightening window on the creative process." --Publishers Weekly

"The book effectively explains why her [Aretha's] release on the great 60's R&B label was a definitive move for the singer." --American Songwriter Magazine

"A standout in the current crowd of classic-album histories." --Booklist

"...a fascinating reconstruction...an illuminating narrative that includes short biographies of all the albums major participants." --Muze

About the Author

Matt Dobkin is the author of Getting Opera. He is the former classical music editor at Time Out New York, and his work has appeared in New York magazine, Bazaar, Out, and a variety of other publications. He lives in New York City.