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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.