| Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington | |
| Type: | Studio Album |
| Artist: | Aretha Franklin |
| Cover: | Unforgettable_-_A_Tribute_To_Dinah_Washington.jpg |
| Released: | February 18, 1964 |
| Recorded: | February 7–10, 1964 |
| Studio: | Columbia Recording Studios, (New York/Hollywood) |
| Genre: | Jazz, soul, blues, R&B |
| Length: | 37:35 |
| Label: | Columbia |
| Producer: | Robert Mersey (original), John Snyder (reissue) |
| Prev Title: | Laughing on the Outside |
| Prev Year: | 1963 |
| Next Title: | Runnin' Out of Fools |
| Next Year: | 1964 |
Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington is the fifth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin.[1] Released on February 18, 1964, by Columbia Records, the album is a tribute dedicated to the recently deceased singer Dinah Washington. The sessions were recorded in New York. A few tunes were cut with strings in order to bring out the essential ballad character of the songs (with the help of Bob Mersey's arranging); most of the tracks, though, were made with the assistance of a small and sympathetic accompanying group for which Mersey supplied minimal written guidance.
"I first heard Dinah when I was just a kid," said Franklin, "back around the time she made 'Fat Daddy.' I never got to know her personally in those days, though she and my father were good friends. The idea of recording a tribute to her grew out of the way I've always felt about her. I didn't try to do the songs the same way she did them, necessarily - just the way they felt best, whether they happened to be similar or different."
In January 1995, John Snyder, the producer of the reissue, said: "...This is a very soulful record, a record of inspired singing by one of the great voices of our time. That makes it a 'must-have' and a record that is once again 'current.' It's that kind of work: Ms. Franklin's performance makes it timeless. Many of the songs, you may recognize, are her current hits."
Reissue by Legacy's Rhythm & Soul Series in 1995 included "Lee Cross". This song was recorded at the same time as the other tunes and is the only song not released on the original album. It was first released several years later on Take It Like You Give It and became one of Franklin's biggest hits on Columbia.