Music

Aretha to play hometown gig Friday

Singer Aretha Franklin entertains the crowd as she preforms at the grand opening of the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis on October 1, 2011. Orginally opened in 1934 as the Kiel Opera House, the facility was closed for over 20 years and has now been restored to its orginal look. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

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Published: June 20, 2012 at 8:12 PM

DETROIT, June 20 (UPI) -- Music icon Aretha Franklin says she is looking forward to performing at the Fox Theatre this week in her hometown of Detroit.

Franklin, 70, told the Detroit Free Press the venue holds special memories of her "sitting as a little girl in the balcony watching Lionel Hampton."

Friday's show comes as her "voice is doing absolutely fabulous -- just better, clear, higher, stronger than ever," she said after battling health issues in recent years.

The Grammy Award winner is scheduled to perform in New Orleans, Las Vegas and Los Angeles this summer, the newspaper said, adding she and producer Clive Davis are to begin recording a new album set for release this fall.

Topics: Aretha Franklin, Clive Davis

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