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This week we\u2019re 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.\nWhen 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.\xa0\nIn this episode, The Retrospectors look at the surprising similarities between the lives of Jones and Franklin; discuss why audiences in the 1960s couldn\u2019t tell real performers from fake ones; and ponder whether Jones deserves a little more R.E.S.P.E.C.T\u2026\xa0\xa0\nWe\u2019ll be back with new episodes from January 1st. In the meantime, to support the show and unlock over 100 bonus bits, join \U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\U0001f334at https://patreon.com/Retrospectors.\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018An Aretha Franklin Impersonator Fooled Fans (Then Became A Star)\u2019 (Cracked, 2022): https://www.cracked.com/article_34398_an-aretha-franklin-impersonator-fooled-fans-then-became-a-star.html\n\u2022 \u2018The Counterfeit Queen of Soul\u2019 (Smithsonian magazine, 2018):\xa0\nhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/counterfeit-queen-soul-180969340/\xa0\n\u2018Imposter! How Vickie Jones fooled Aretha Franklin fans\u2026 until #otd in 1969\u2019 (The Retrospectors, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3hJb8Idy91I\n\n\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices