Aretha Franklin's Dream of Being Mary Jones

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I wonder what it must have been like for Mary Jones to be getting these standing ovations and to be getting people just on their feet who loved her so much. And I think by then she realized that she wanted to be herself. She wanted to perform as Mary Jones or Vicky Jones as she called herself. It must have been very conflicting because all this time she dreamed of leading the life that Aretha Franklin was leading, performing to sell out crowds. But know that really you were masquerading as someone else that you didn't deserve it.

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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