Is Rodney Franklin, the jazz pianist, related to Aretha Franklin?

Answer 1

I think not. Here's his biography verbatim by John Bush of AT&T, Yahoo! Music:

"Fusion keyboardist Rodney Franklin was born in Berkeley, CA, in 1958. He began piano lessons at the age of six. After graduation, he worked with John Handy in San Francisco and toured with Freddie Hubbard, Marlena Shaw and Bill Summers. His debut album In the Center appeared in 1978 on Columbia. Two years later, Franklin hit the Top Ten with "The Groove," from You'll Never Know. The next six years brought seven more albums from Columbia; none were as successful as You'll Never Know, but Franklin continued to build his reputation as a respected fusion artist. He moved to BMG for 1988's Diamond Inside of You and has also released Love Dancin for Nova." ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Answer 2

Wow, I love Aretha, and my favorite Aretha song seems to change, depending on my mood, or on what's going on in my life at that particular time. However, one favorite that never changes is "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man". I can't help myself, I just have to throw my head back and belt out the line: "They say that it's a man's world, but you can't prove that by me." Ah, Aretha is marvelous! She has no equal.