Criminal

A black and white doubled illustration of Aretha Franklin.

The Impersonator

Episode #225

2023-06-30 05:00:23

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Mary Jones could sing just like Aretha Franklin. One night, a James Brown impersonator saw her perform at a Motown tribute show – and thought he could take her on tour and trick audiences into believing she was the real Queen of Soul. Jeff Maysh tells the story. 

Learn more in Jeff Maysh’s piece for Smithsonian Magazine, “The Counterfeit Queen of Soul.”