ARETHA FRANKLIN CELEBRATED THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HER FIRST POP ALBUM RELEASE ON FEBRUARY 27, 1961!

Sony Music Entertainment is proud to celebrate the 50th ANNIVERSARY of Aretha Franklin’s debut pop album release this week.   Signed to Columbia Records by the legendary John Hammond in the spring of 1960 (soon after her 18^th birthday), Aretha released her first pop LP, Aretha (With The Ray Bryant Combo), on February 27, 1961.   Her coming of age at Columbia as a young artist in New York City is one of the great stories in the annals of popular music, and set the stage for her ascendance as the Queen of Soul.Columbia / Legacy commemorates this momentous anniversary with TAKE A LOOK: THE COMPLETE ARETHA FRANKLIN ON COLUMBIA, available March 22, 2011 (www.arethafranklin.net).   The deluxe 11CD+DVD box set presents the Queen of Soul’s entire Columbia output for the very first time, including master takes, unissued performances, rare mono mixes and studio conversations.Visit www.arethafranklin.net to watch the TAKE A LOOK Preview Video of rare performances and images from the box-set and pre-order your copy today!