Darius Rucker Pays Tribute to Aretha Franklin During Detroit Show

Musicians of all genres have been paying tribute to Aretha Franklin since her passing on August 16, including the country world, and on Friday night (September 7), Darius Rucker added his name to the list.

During his show at DTE Energy Music Theatre in suburban Detroit, the country blues crooner explained his reasoning for waiting three weeks before paying homage to the Queen of Soul. 

"When I was a kid, only two people ruled my world — Al Green and Aretha Franklin," he told the crowd, according to Billboard.  "I've been watching everybody do their tributes to (Franklin), but I said, 'I'm gonna wait 'til I get to Detroit to do mine.' I want to send my tribute to the Queen. This is my tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin."

He then dove into a cover of the iconic singer's 1967 blues hit "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)."

Franklin passed away at the age of 76 from pancreatic cancer. A star-studded cast of vocalists sang at her funeral service on August 31 at Greater Grace Temple in her hometown of Detroit. Faith Hill represented country music and performed a powerful performance of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." 

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