'Amazing Grace': Exclusive look at never-aired footage of Aretha Franklin

[Music] intimate transcendent Aretha Franklin as she's never been seen before a new documentary nearly 50 years in the making [Music] never aired footage of the Queen of Soul recording her legendary gospel album Amazing Grace the best-selling gospel album of all time you wanna know the truth yet never left the church she barely speaks five words but when she opens her mouth as some in that church might say glory came out [Music] it's just a testament to good spiritual music we sat down with those closest to Franklin you know America lost a legend you lost a mother we lost an aunt what was it like watching this performance I was very touched I welled up in a couple parts because the only one it was the early 70s the then 29 year old still a diva in the making she's got 11 number-one records in a row she'd already earned our respect as the Queen of Soul she made us think her songs a soundtrack for the civil rights era but to her son the larger-than-life diva was just mom what kind of mom was she very loving caring always looking out for my best interest she was just an Aretha she'd love to cook she loved her soap opera yes she loved Medea she was a normal regular person at home she was most at home here in the church she always took America to church if you ever attended any of her concerts you were going to church before you left there her father renowned Reverend CL Franklin I say with pride that wreath is not only my daughter Aretha it's just a stone thing [Applause] in 1972 she partnered with the gospel great Reverend James Cleveland she can say anything anything his choir singing bathtub in the LA neighborhood of watts I was blown away to see Mick Jagger in the rear swaying to the music they're both Atlantic Records you know label mates and McNew where the action was Hollywood director Sydney and his crew were there too so she saw this as that chance to become a movie star but the production team forgot one important tool a clapper that allows you to sync audio to the reels and reels of film years later called in his old apprentice Alan Elliott oh man how disappointed he must have been that he could never get that sound sunk together and he spent three months looking at footage daily and they could only sync up 12% of this stuff so it's like putting together a million piece jigsaw puzzle right with the advent of digital technology decades later it became possible is the legend true that you mortgaged your house to get the right yes that's how much he believed in it but once the film was made he received an unexpected surprise first sued in 2015 by the Queen herself when I read the sued me I had no idea why she was suing me I was like you know people say well why why is worth of Franklin Mejia and and she said she loved the movie which was a harder thing to figure out when she passed away last year Franklin's niece asked Elliot to screen the film for the family and they were sold you feel it you think you feel it when you're listening to it and then when you see it it's just it's very transformative in her first song which is I think holy-holy right I don't think she opens her eyes through the entire performance to us that's like the moment hers own moment she when she would when she would go into concert she's going to his own when she closes her eyes and she's not hearing anything else around her it's all about her performance and what she's doing one she's in the church and two she's also making a recording which is you know these are two things that are the holiest of holies to her with the body of work that spans six decades hit after hit inspired by her gospel roots all unmistakeably Aretha [Music] the natural woman just as comfortable singing onstage alongside fellow pop divas as she was performing for presidents even bringing President Obama to tears at the Kennedy Center Honors [Music] Franklin a die-hard Democrat crossed the aisle to perform a duet with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice I [Music] heard someone say that she played with the symphony I said Condoleezza Rice plays with the symphony plays what yeah the piano this I had to hear Aretha excelled across genres even making her own unique mark in Opera but it wasn't just her singing that impressed her adoring fans it was also her musicality I think some of the best parts of her concerts is when she got on a piano rooster and and and she played by ear and she was gifted in that sense and you know we often joke you couldn't even say anything in the house where she was because she would hear it she had a magnificent ear you know and so you know she could play anything what do you want audiences to rediscover her love for the gospel and for the church and that it's I think it's very very relevant to the days and times that we're living in right now hi everyone George Stephanopoulos here thanks for checking out the ABC News youtube channel if you'd like to get more video show highlights and watch live event coverage click on the 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Channel: ABC News

Views: 287,930

Rating: 4.937067 out of 5

Keywords: Aretha, Franklin, Amazing, Grace, Queen, of, Soul, never, aired, footage, documentary, legendary, gospel, singer, music, abc, abcnews

Id: PGACSQdY45Q

Length: 6min 45sec (405 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 29 2019