ARETHA FRANKLIN - ONE STEP AHEAD

In 1965, 23-year old Aretha Franklin recorded One Step Ahead for a Columbia Records single release, with I Can't Wait To See My Baby's Face as the b-side. The single hit #18 on the Hot Rhythm and Blues chart. One Step Ahead was never released as part of an album, and it is one of Franklin's rarest releases. Although she had recorded for Columbia  for 5 years, since she was 18, Franklin never was considered a commercial success until after she signed with Atlantic Records in 1966. By 1968 she had earned the title The Queen of Soul. She recorded many great albums with Atlantic, but left Atlantic in 1979 after a series of unsuccessful albums. In 1980 Franklin signed with Arista and also famously appeared in the cult musical comedy The Blues Brothers. For years One Step Ahead was an obscure and little known track, until hip-hop produced Ayatollah sampled from the song for Mos Def's 1999 debut single Ms. Fat Booty.