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“She knew I respected her family
as much as I respected her,
” Solomon
explained. “She enjoyed opening up
the paper and seeing a photo of her
sister, niece or brother, and I was never
intrusive.
”
Because people did not have cell
phones in the early years of Franklin’s
success, Solomon was able to have some
very singular pictures and presented them
in a 2019 book, The Queen Next Door:
Aretha Franklin, An Intimate Portrait.
“I wanted to pay tribute and say thank
you for all the opportunities she had
given me to document her life and to be
able to show her fans a side of her maybe
they hadn’t seen,
” Solomon said. “I have
written about the various events that I
captured, but it is a pictorial book.
“I tell people when they have
photographs they bring back memories,
and I feel very strongly in telling people
to print their photographs. You don’t
know what can happen in cyberspace 20
years from now. If you have albums, you
can go back, and everything is right there
for you.
“In this exhibition, Aretha is right
here again, and it’s very special for me to
exhibit, for the first time, photographs
captured in Orchestra Hall, and to have
the exhibition in Orchestra Hall is quite
an honor for me.
”
As Solomon recalls the personal times
associated with Franklin, she is aware
how the entertainer used to go grocery
shopping at the Kroger store on Telegraph
and 15 Mile. Solomon saw her there once
and learned from the cashier that the
singer often was in the store.
Franklin, a very religious Christian,
did not discuss Solomon’s Judaism, but
Solomon felt there was a respect for that
aspect of the photographer’s life.
“I was just starting my career when I
met her, and I think she wanted to help
another woman,
” Solomon said. “She felt
very strongly about supporting women,
and she had many friends of the Jewish
faith.
”
Attending and photographing private
Franklin events, Solomon met Franklin’s
Jewish doctor, Seymour Ziegelman, and
started consulting him.
“
Aretha was a very empathetic and
caring woman with qualities that are
greatly admired,
” Solomon said. “She
never asked me for photo approval, and
she was very trusting in knowing that I
would be very sensitive.
“For me to look at this special time,
25 years ago, brought back some very
beautiful memories for me. I hope it will
bring back some beautiful memories for
all her fans.
”
Details
“Respect: A Tribute to
Aretha Franklin” will be
performed at 10:45 a.m.
and 8 p.m. Friday, May
26; 8 p.m. Saturday, May
27; and 3 p.m. Sunday,
May 28, in Orchestra Hall.
Tickets start at $19 and
include exhibit entry. (313)
576-5111. dso.org.
Aretha
performing
with the DSO.
LINDA SOLOMON
Linda Solomon on stage while Aretha rehearsed
for her DSO performance. Solomon recently
learned she is being inducted into the CATCH Hall
of Fame for her charity work.