ACADIA PARISH — Nestled in Crowley, Joseph ‘Pip’ Savoy has spent decades curating a living tribute to Aretha Franklin—a space that blends his passion for music with his deep admiration for the Queen of Soul.
Pip has spent much of his life collecting everything he can tied to Aretha Franklin. His bedroom is packed with records, posters, life-size cutouts, and even a bed blanket and pillows emblazoned with her image. “This was always the goal, to collect as much as I could by Aretha Franklin,” Pip said.
The collection began when he was 12, “my mother loved Aretha Franklin. She went that first Christmas and she bought me three albums by Aretha Franklin and I started from there with collecting” Pip explains.
That moment sparked a lifelong love not just for her music, but for what she stood for. “She helped so many people by donating to charities, she wasn’t selfish,” Pip said. “And if somebody was homeless, she’d put them up in hotels.”
Pip, one of seven siblings, grew up in a deeply spiritual home where gospel music and family support went hand-in-hand. “We had to look out for each other,” he said. “Before Mama died, she said she was getting ready to go home, but she wanted us to help one another.” That sense of unity stretched even into his passion for collecting—one of his older brothers is also an Aretha Franklin fan and collector. “I know, what are the odds?” Pip said with a smile.
He credits his mother with encouraging his obsession early on. “My mother, oh my mother loved it. My daddy liked it too, but not like Momma,” he said. Aretha’s voice, he adds, reminded him of church—something he looked forward to every week. “Oh, I couldn’t wait to go to church, go to Sunday school,” Pip recalled.
Decades later, Aretha’s voice is still part of his daily life. “She’s the only singer that moves me,” he said. “I lie down in the evening, cut the television off, and listen to gospel.”
Pip’s collection may be personal,It's one that reflects his love tied to her music which he says serves as a reminder that music, memory, and meaning can fill not just a room, but a life.
