This week we’re revisiting our favourite episodes of 2023, and Rebecca has chosen to replay our episode from 15th February, the day in 1969 when Mary Jane Jones - known professionally as Vickie Jones - was arrested on fraud charges after successfully impersonating soul legend Aretha Franklin during multiple sold-out shows across Florida.

When her case ended up before a judge, Jones maintained her innocence, insisting that she had been press-ganged into the deception by conman, kidnapper and semi-professional James Brown impersonator, Lavelle Hardy. 

In this episode, The Retrospectors look at the surprising similarities between the lives of Jones and Franklin; discuss why audiences in the 1960s couldn’t tell real performers from fake ones; and ponder whether Jones deserves a little more R.E.S.P.E.C.T…  

We’ll be back with new episodes from January 1st. In the meantime, to support the show and unlock over 100 bonus bits, join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴at https://patreon.com/Retrospectors.

Further Reading:

• ‘An Aretha Franklin Impersonator Fooled Fans (Then Became A Star)’ (Cracked, 2022): https://www.cracked.com/article_34398_an-aretha-franklin-impersonator-fooled-fans-then-became-a-star.html

• ‘The Counterfeit Queen of Soul’ (Smithsonian magazine, 2018): 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/counterfeit-queen-soul-180969340/ 

• ‘Imposter! How Vickie Jones fooled Aretha Franklin fans… until #otd in 1969’ (The Retrospectors, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3hJb8Idy91I

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