ERMA FRANKLIN STORY PT 1 ON CHANCELLOR OF SOUL'S SOUL FACTS SHOW

Chancellor of Soul, Mike Boone presents a new entity on the 'Soul Facts Show' entitled, 'A Tribute To The Siblings of Soul' , a brother or sister related to a famous artist that overshadowed their success.

This edition features an older sister, who's a sibling to a famous iconic middle child, named Aretha Franklin but who's status in the
music business deserves credibility in her own rite.

Ms Erma Franklin.

Born March 13, 1938 in Shelby, Mississippi, Erma Vernice Franklin
was the oldest daughter of the Rev. C.L. Franklin & his wife Barbara. Rev Franklin was a powerhouse traveling minister, who led his voice to numerous cities across the country, including Tennessee and Buffalo, NY where at five years at age, Erma made her singing debut. The family settled in Detroit, Michigan where Rev. Franklin would pastor the New Bethal Baptist Church. Sisters
Erma, Aretha and Carolyn soon became member of the Bethal choir.

Interested in secular music, Erma formed a singing group called the Cleopatrettes. The group traveled and won music state competitions, in which landed them a recording contract with a local Detroit label called J-V-B, which stood for Joe Von Battle, the
founder of the imprint. The Cleopatrettes released their first recording entitled, 'Say Would You Babe' b/w 'No Other Love' in 1953. The group disbanded in the late 50's.

During this time, a local songwriter named Berry Gordy Jr and his partner named Billy Davis, saw potential in Franklin's talent and took her under their wings. They both decided that she would be first artist on their label, which later became Gordy's Motown imprint. They all traveled to Chicago to secure a distribution deal support from Leonard Chess, founder of Chess Records. Chess said that they needed more material. Disappointed, they hightailed back to Detroit, with less money and gas.

Erma was eager and ready to quit school and travel on the road but
her father C.L. suggested that she finish high school and further her education. After graduating high school with top honors, Franklin enrolled at Clark College in Atlanta, Ga, where she majored in business administration and secretarial science.

While returning home from college, Erma learned that a song Berry Gordy Jr composed about her broken relationship was originally written for her entitled, 'All I Could Do Was Cry' became a hit for Etta James, she was very disappointed.

Erma would recover from her disappointment when her father took her and sister Aretha, to Columbia Records in New York for auditions. They both landed with contracts. Aretha inked a deal with Columbia, while Erma signed with its subsidiary label, Epic.

Epic Records released one Lp on Franklin called, 'Her Name Is Erma' in 1962 and issue 6 uncharted singles. The LP failed to attract record buyers but is considered a collectors item.

In 1967, after touring with the Lloyd Price Orchestra for five years,
she signed with Shout Records in New York. Shout was a division of Bang Records, founded by songwriter/ producer, Bert Berns.

Shout issued Erma's first release entitled 'Big Boss Man' originally recorded by blues artist, Jimmy Reed on Vee Jay in 1961. The single went nowhere. Her next single became an instant classic,
'Piece of My Heart' composed by Bert Berns and producer Jerry Ragavoy. The song charted No. 10 R&B on December 10, 1967.
Franklin was nominated a Grammy in 1969, for Best R&B Vocal Performance: Female but lost to her sister Aretha's 1967 hit, 'Chain of Fools'. A year later, Janis Joplin with Big Brother Holding Company recorded the song, featured on their million selling LP,
'Cheap Thrills' in 1968. Of course, Janis' version became the most recognized version, nearly cracking the top ten on Billboard's Top 100 Singles chart.

While trying to record an album on Erma, Bert Berns suddenly died of an heart attack at the age of 35, putting Franklin's career on a stand still.

(End Of Part 1)

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