Aretha Franklin
“The voice that turned a demand for respect into an anthem and crowned her the Queen of Soul.”
After modest Columbia years, Franklin signed to Atlantic in 1967 and recorded 'I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)' and her transformative cover of Otis Redding's 'Respect.' That No. 1 anthem crowned her the 'Queen of Soul.' The 1967 run made her the defining voice of soul music.
Early Life
Born in Memphis in 1942 and raised in Detroit, she was the daughter of famed preacher C.L. Franklin. She learned to sing in his church and recorded gospel as a teenager.
Rise to Stardom
After underwhelming Columbia pop records, she signed to Atlantic in 1967 and recorded 'Respect.' Her gospel-rooted, commanding voice made her the Queen of Soul almost overnight.
Legacy
With 18 Grammys and a string of soul standards, she became one of the most influential singers in history. She performed at presidential inaugurations and was the first woman in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Career Timeline
- 1942Born in Memphis, Tennessee
- 1956Records first gospel album as a teenager
- 1960Signs with Columbia Records, sings pop and jazz
- 1967Atlantic breakthrough; 'Respect' tops the charts
- 1968Crowned 'Queen of Soul'; Time magazine cover
- 1972Gospel album 'Amazing Grace' becomes a landmark
- 1987First woman inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- 2009Sings at President Obama's inauguration
- 2018Dies at 76 in Detroit, Michigan
Biggest Hits
- She was the first woman ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1987.
- In 1998 she stepped in for an ailing Luciano Pavarotti at the Grammys and sang 'Nessun dorma' with little notice.
The Moment You Remember
Many remember the 1972 sessions captured on Amazing Grace, recorded live in a Los Angeles church, where Franklin returned to her gospel roots and reminded the world that her power had always begun in the pews.
Portrait: Atlantic Records · Public domain (PD, pre-1978 advertisement, no copyright notice) · via Wikimedia Commons