Pulitzer Prize Posthumously Honors Queen of Soul
On Monday, Aretha Franklin became the first woman to receive a citation for music from the Pulitzer Board.
The Pulitzer Prizes in journalism and literary arts were announced on Monday.
But there was a surprise announcement after the regular awards.
There is a Pulitzer Prize in music, but it’s almost always collected by a classical or jazz musician. And last year Kendrick Lamar became the first hip hop artist to win.
Aretha is now the first woman to receive a special citation for music from the Pulitzer Board, which pointed to her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades.
Veteran Detroit music journalist Gary Graff joins Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson to talk about the significance of Aretha’s posthumous award.
Click on the audio player above to hear that conversation.
