By Scott Westerman

From the Keener emailbag – Q: I read something in the Free Press about Aretha’s Respect being number one on the Billboard charts the week of June 2, 1967. How popular was it in Detroit and didn’t some other band also have a hit with Respect?

A: Detroit was always ahead of Billboard in recognizing R&B talent and Aretha Franklin is a classic example. By 1967, CKLW was ascending in popularity in Motown.

Comparing music guides in June of ’67 you sense that the Bit 8’s music mix was a tad more soulful than what was playing on Keener. Aretha hit number one on CK the week of May 9th, 1967, nearly a month before she peaked on the national charts, and held the top spot for 3 weeks. The song entered the WKNR Music Guide that same week. It had a 5 week run, with one of the biggest jumps in Keener history, a move from number 26 to number 5, during the week of May 15th.

Otis Redding had the first national success with Respect, climbing as high as number 35 on Billboard in 1965. But 9 months before Aretha’s version exploded on the scene, an Ann Arbor band, spent 6 weeks on the Keener charts with the same tune, topping out at number 6 the week of September 26th, 1966.

The Rationals, shown here during an appearance on Robin Seymour’s Swingin Time TV show, recorded for Cameo Parkway records. The label that launched Bob Seger’s career was also home to Dee Dee Sharp, Eddie Holman and Chubby Checker. It was a perfect vehicle for Scott Morgan’s bluesy wail, and in the day, the Rationals sound was favorably compared to early Beatles and Rolling Stones recordings. The band charted again in 1968 with I Need You but never enjoyed Aretha’s success. She was featured 22 times on WKNR, hitting number one with Don’t Play That Song and Spanish Harlem.