Recorded at the age of 14, in 1956, under the direction of her father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, these gospel recordings of a teenaged Aretha Franklin are not just a sign of the brilliance to come, they are a force unto themselves. At this time Aretha was performing in her father-s church, New Bethel, in Detroit, and traveling with her father-s gospel caravan tours, performing with the likes of Sam Cooke ^ The Soul Stirrers. Like so many of the soul and R^B stars of the 50s and 60s, Aretha started out in the church and it was there that she made some of her most powerful and transcendental music