The True Story of Mary Jones

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Lavell Hardy tricked Mary Jones. He told her that he was booking the opening act for the real Aretha Franklin. She'd never been paid that amount of money in her life. So she went for it. Phoebe Judge: This must have seemed like a very exciting opportunity.

Mary Jones could sing just like Aretha Franklin. One night, a James Brown impersonator saw her perform at a Motown tribute show - and thought he could take her on tour and trick audiences into believing she was the real Queen of Soul. Jeff Maysh tells the story.

Learn more in Jeff Maysh’s piece for Smithsonian Magazine, “The Counterfeit Queen of Soul.”

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