What was the name of Aretha Franklin's debut album released in 1961?

Aretha Franklin’s debut album, released in 1961, was Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo.

The album was released by Columbia Records on February 27, 1961, when Franklin was 18 years old. It is usually shortened to Aretha in modern discographies, while “With The Ray Bryant Combo” identifies the musicians featured on the original release. The album is also known by the working title Right Now It’s Aretha.

Columbia producer John Hammond paired Franklin with pianist and bandleader Ray Bryant, arranger J. Leslie McFarland, and a group of New York studio musicians. The sessions were recorded between August 1960 and January 1961 at Columbia’s studios in New York City.

The record presents Franklin interpreting pop and jazz standards rather than the gospel-infused soul style that would later make her famous. Songs include “Over the Rainbow,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” and “Today I Sing the Blues.” Its mixed reception helps explain why Franklin’s later Atlantic breakthrough, beginning with I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You in 1967, felt like such a dramatic artistic turning point.