Aretha Franklin will go on her last US tour

NEW YORK (Aretha Franklin Fans Website) - The Queen Of Soul, Aretha Franklin, has announced that she will go on her very last national performance tour this spring and summer. Though the tour schedule has not been announced, Franklin has already commissioned costumes for the trek from top designers as well as from fellow R&B warbler Luther Vandross. Further, she is holding open auditions for dancers for her tour.

Franklin's tour will be dubbed Aretha Sings Her Musical History. The tour will preview her forthcoming CD of all-new material, expected to bow in the fall on Arista.

Though Franklin will perform selected spot dates in the future, the 61-year-old diva said she will never again embark on an extended, full-scale performance tour.

Grammy-winning vocalist Vandross has designed two gowns for the singer to wear on stage, which he said were created in celebration of their friendship. The rest of Franklin's stage wear will be created by top designers Valentino, Halston, Donna Karan, and Bill Blass.

Finally, Miss Franklin is giving local dancers a rare opportunity by holding open auditions in Detroit for dancers to join her stage troupe. Male and female dancers aged 18 to 35 will be welcomed to tryouts during the second week in May. The location will be announced prior to the audition dates.

Dubbed "the Queen Of Soul" in the 1960s after charting hits like "Respect," "Chain Of Fools," and "(You Make Me Feel like A) Natural Woman," Franklin has gone on to three-decade-plus career. She was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and holds 15 Grammy Awards. Her most recent studio album was 1998's platinum A Rose Is Still A Rose.