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Podcast: Today In History with The Retrospectors
Episode: Best of 2023: The Counterfeit Queen of Soul
Description: This week weβre 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.Β In this episode, The Retrospectors look at the surprising similarities between the...