Biography
Songwriter Ronnie Shannon penned two major Aretha Franklin successes, “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You” and “Baby I Love You.” At the urging of Franklin’s husband and manager Ted White, Shannon crafted the first of those titles expressly for the singer. Franklin, White, Atlantic staff producer Jerry Wexler, and engineer Tom Dowd convened at Rick Hall’s Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, a facility already responsible for numerous chart records by assorted performers. The session featured the core Muscle Shoals rhythm section—drummer Roger Hawkins, organist Spooner Oldham, and guitarist Jimmy Johnson—joined by Memphis-based players bassist Tommy Cogbill and lead guitarist Chips Moman. Accounts describe a tense atmosphere marked by considerable friction.
Issued on 10 February 1967, “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You” earned gold status, held the R&B summit for seven weeks, reached number nine on the Billboard pop chart that spring, and became Atlantic’s quickest-selling single of the decade. Its flip side, the similarly blues-inflected “Do Right Woman Do Right Man,” climbed to number 37 R&B during the same period. Franklin’s first Atlantic album—bearing the same title and also containing her signature “Respect”—likewise went gold; previously signed to Columbia after John Hammond, Sr., discovered her, she watched the LP hold the pop runner-up slot for three weeks in spring 1967.
Shannon’s second million-selling composition for her, the buoyant “Baby I Love You,” topped the R&B listings for two weeks and peaked at number four pop in summer 1967. The New York tracking date reunited most of the same players, augmented by organist Truman Thomas and backing vocalists that included Franklin’s sisters Carolyn—who authored the later Aretha hit “Ain’t No Way”—and Erma, plus saxophonist King Curtis of “Memphis Soul Stew” fame and guitarist Joe South. The track appeared on the album Aretha Arrives, which rose to number five on the pop chart in fall 1967.
Issued on 10 February 1967, “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You” earned gold status, held the R&B summit for seven weeks, reached number nine on the Billboard pop chart that spring, and became Atlantic’s quickest-selling single of the decade. Its flip side, the similarly blues-inflected “Do Right Woman Do Right Man,” climbed to number 37 R&B during the same period. Franklin’s first Atlantic album—bearing the same title and also containing her signature “Respect”—likewise went gold; previously signed to Columbia after John Hammond, Sr., discovered her, she watched the LP hold the pop runner-up slot for three weeks in spring 1967.
Shannon’s second million-selling composition for her, the buoyant “Baby I Love You,” topped the R&B listings for two weeks and peaked at number four pop in summer 1967. The New York tracking date reunited most of the same players, augmented by organist Truman Thomas and backing vocalists that included Franklin’s sisters Carolyn—who authored the later Aretha hit “Ain’t No Way”—and Erma, plus saxophonist King Curtis of “Memphis Soul Stew” fame and guitarist Joe South. The track appeared on the album Aretha Arrives, which rose to number five on the pop chart in fall 1967.