See Jo Dee Messina’s Cover of Aretha Franklin’s ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’
Aretha Franklin's impact on the music community is undeniable. Upon news of her death on Thursday (Aug. 16), countless tributes have come to light, including this one from Jo Dee Messina.
In a heartfelt post on Twitter, Messina details the influence the Queen of Soul had on her. "Sending my love and prayers to the family and friends of the incomparably influential Aretha Franklin," she writes. "Her legacy will live on forever." She also included the above video that shows her covering the late icon's 1967 hit, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."
Messina's performance of the soul queen's hit was filmed during a concert in 2014, and fans were into it. As soon as she launches into the first verse, the screaming and clapping start, too. With a smile on her face, the country singer hit all the right notes during her performance, no doubt making the song a highlight during her set.
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Messina is far from the only country singer who has been inspired by Franklin, the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In an interview with the Washington Post in 1996, Faith Hill gushed about the soul icon.
"For me, the big influence wasn't Linda Ronstadt; it was Aretha Franklin," Hill tells the publication. "I've always listened to Aretha. When you hear the drums and bass on my records, that's where it comes from."
Reba McEntire also shared the late singer's influence on social media when posting her rousing rendition of "Respect" as performed at the 1988 CMA Awards.
"I’ve had so many influences in my life, and one of them is the Queen of Soul," McEntire says on Twitter. "Rest in Peace, Aretha. I’ll sing this one for you."
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