Eric Church Honors Aretha Franklin With ‘A Natural Woman’ Cover

Musical legend Aretha Franklin passed away on Thursday, Aug. 16, and numerous artists have since [...]

By Hannah Barnes

Musical legend Aretha Franklin passed away on Thursday, Aug. 16, and numerous artists have since paid tribute to the late Queen of Soul in their own various ways.

Country singer Eric Church honored the late star during his show in Calgary, Alberta during Canada's Country Thunder music festival on Sunday night, performing a cover of Franklin's hit "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."

Church opened his show with the classic song, walking out into the center of the stage before starting the song, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar for a stripped-down version of the track as the crowd sang along.

He then segued into his own "Smoke a Little Smoke," bringing the energy up as his band joined in.

In addition to Church, multiple country stars have honored Franklin including Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton, who both performed "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" at their own shows.

"We lost a legend today," Stapleton told the crowd at the Mattress Firm Amphitheater in Chula Vista, California on the day of Franklin's death. "In my opinion, the greatest singer that ever lived. We'll do our best to make a tribute to her tonight."

The same night, Lambert played a concert in Buffalo, New York, also performing her take on the feminist track.

During a recent show in Las Vegas, Maren Morris also sang her version of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," which was shared by Morris' bass player, Annie Clements.

"This song is written on the souls of millions, something I realized in the short time we had at sound check the other day to work it up in Aretha's honor," Clements wrote. "It was effortless; it's in our bones, ready to emerge at a moment's notice. Every nuance of Aretha's version is imprinted. It lives in us the way great music does. Immortal. Hope you hear all these souls lifting their voices to you in heaven, Aretha, and know that your spirit is in our bones here on earth."

The performance earned Morris a shoutout from Carole King, who helped write the iconic track.

Photo Credit: Getty / Erika Goldring

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