A Fraudulent Aretha Franklin: How Do You Spel...

There's a lot of money to be made in tourism, especially in culturally rich areas like Italy's Veneto region. So what's a philanthropist/entrepreneur/orchestra conductor to do? Build a fake ancient amphitheater, of course! The Italian government, though, doesn't take kindly to th ...  عرض المزيد

Last week, Elizabeth shared a story from the Gold Rush. And this week, Zaron brings us a story from the Yosemite Gold Rush. If you've never heard of it, that's when a bunch of dirtbag rock climbers who called Yosemite home learned about a downed pot smuggler's plane that was trap ...  عرض المزيد

Mary Jane Jones, known professionally as Vickie Jones, was arrested on fraud charges on 15th February, 1969 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 inno ...  عرض المزيد

Mary Jones could sing just like Aretha Franklin. One night, a James Brown impersonator saw her perform at a Motown tribute show - and thought he could take her on tour and trick audiences into believing she was the real Queen of Soul. Jeff Maysh tells the story. Learn more in Jef ...  عرض المزيد

This week we’re 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 Are ...  عرض المزيد

Not only were Madame Rachel's claims about the magical qualities of her cosmetics false, she also used her London salon as a front for shadier practices like blackmail and prostitution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices