Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin, Singer

Born: 25 March 1942
Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee
Best Known As: The Queen of Soul who sang "Respect"

Aretha Franklin is called "The Queen of Soul" and "Lady Soul," nicknames that are a tribute to her regal style and impassioned gospel-tinged vocals. The daughter of Rev. C. L. Franklin, a Detroit gospel singer and clergyman, Aretha began performing on the Midwest gospel music circuit as a youngster and made her first recording when she was 14 years old. Her pop music recording career began when she signed a record deal in 1961 with CBS/Columbia, but her career really took off when she signed with Atlantic Records in 1967. By the end of the 1960s Franklin was at her peak as an artist -- with hits including Otis Redding's "Respect", as well as "Chain of Fools" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" -- and had become an African-American icon during the era's turbulent battles over civil rights for minorities and women. She sang "God Bless America" at the 1977 inauguration of President Jimmy Carter and continued to perform and record both soul and gospel music into the 21st century. Though her last mainstream hit record was 1985's Freeway Of Love, Franklin's place in music history is secure: she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

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Aretha Louise Franklin

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(born March 25, 1942, Memphis, Tenn., U.S.) U.S. popular singer. Franklin's family moved from Memphis to Detroit when she was two. Her father, C.L. Franklin, was a well-known revivalist preacher; his church and home were visited by musical luminaries such as Clara Ward, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, and Dinah Washington. Franklin made her first recording at age 12. At first she performed only gospel music, but at age 18 she switched from sacred to secular music. After struggling for a number of years to achieve crossover success, in 1967 her powerful and fervent voice took the country by storm as she began to release a string of songs including "I Never Loved a Man," "Respect," "Chain of Fools," "Think," and "Natural Woman." Her rousing mixture of gospel and rhythm and blues defined the golden age of soul music of the 1960s. In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For more information on Aretha Louise Franklin, visit Britannica.com.

Gale Encyclopedia of Biography:

Aretha Franklin

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Aretha Franklin (born 1942) had a modest beginning as a gospel singer in Detroit before becoming known as the "Queen of Soul."

When asked by Patricia Smith of the Boston Globe how she felt about being called the "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin's reply was characterized by grace but no false modesty. "It's an acknowledgment of my art," she mused. "It means I am excelling at my art and my first love. And I am most appreciative." Since she burst onto the public consciousness in the late 1960s with a batch of milestone recordings, Franklin has served as a standard against which all subsequent soul divas have been measured.

The combination of Franklin's gospel roots and some devastating life experiences have invested her voice with a rare - and often wrenching - authenticity. "It was like I had no idea what music was all about until I heard her sing," confessed singer-actress Bette Midler, as cited in Ebony. Though Franklin's work in later decades has rarely matched the fire - or the sales figures - of her most celebrated singles, she has remained an enduring presence in contemporary music. The release of several CD retrospectives and the announcement in 1995 that she would publish an autobiography and start her own record label seemed to guarantee that her influence would continue unabated.

Franklin was raised in Detroit, the daughter of famed minister C. L. Franklin and gospel singer Barbara Franklin, who left the family when Aretha was small and died shortly thereafter. The singer told Ebony's Laura B. Randolph, "She was the absolute lady," although she admits that memories of her mother are few. The Reverend Franklin was no retiring clergyman; he enjoyed the popularity and, to some degree, the lifestyle of a pop star. He immediately recognized his daughter's prodigious abilities, and offered to arrange for piano lessons. However, the child declined, instead teaching herself to play by listening to records.

Gospel Roots

Franklin's talent as a singer allowed her to perform with her father's traveling gospel show. She sang regularly before his congregation at Detroit's New Bethel Baptist Church as well, where her performance of "Precious Lord," among other gospel gems, was captured for posterity. She was 14 years old but already a spellbinding performer. Producer Jerry Wexler - who shepherded Franklin to greatness on behalf of Atlantic Records some years later - was stunned by the 1956 recording. "The voice was not that of a child but rather of an ecstatic hierophant [a priest in ancient Greece]," he recalled in his book Rhythm and the Blues.

Franklin's life was no church social, however. She became a mother at age 15 and had her second child two years later. "I still wanted to get out and hang with my friends," she recollected to Ebony's Randolph, "so I wanted to be in two places at the same time. But my grandmother helped me a lot, and my sister and my cousin. They would babysit so I could get out occasionally."

Although first inspired by gospel music, Franklin soon became interested in non-religious music. After receiving her father's encouragement, she traveled to New York in 1960, embarked on vocal and dance lessons, and hired a manager. She then began recording demonstration tapes. Like singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles, who has often been credited with the invention of "soul music," Franklin brought the fire of gospel to pop music, her spiritual force in no way separated from her earthy sexuality.

Collaborations Launched Career

Celebrated Columbia Records executive John Hammond was so taken by Franklin's recordings that he signed her immediately. Her first Columbia album was issued in the fall of 1960. While a few singles made a respectable showing on the charts, it was clear that the label wasn't adequately showcasing her gifts, either in its choice of material or production. "I cherish the recordings we made together," remarked Hammond in Rhythm and the Blues, "but, finally, Columbia was a white company [that] misunderstood her genius."

Wexler brought Franklin to the Florence Alabama Music Emporium (FAME) studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record with a unique group of musicians adept in soul, blues, pop, country, and rock. This crew was stunned by Franklin's power and prowess. Accompanying herself on piano, she deftly controlled the tone and arrangement of the songs she performed. Backing vocals were provided either by her sisters Carolyn and Erma or by the vocal group the Sweet Inspirations, which featured Cissy Houston, mother of future singing star Whitney Houston. Wexler also brought in young rock guitarists Duane Allman and Eric Clapton for guest spots.

Unfortunately, only one of two songs - "I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)" - was finished when White and one of the musicians had a drunken row; White grabbed Franklin and they vanished for a period of weeks. Wexler balanced jubilation with anxiety, as radio programmers around the country embraced "I Never Loved a Man," and distributors clamored for an album. But the artist was nowhere to be found. At last she surfaced in New York, where she completed the unfinished "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," and in Wexler's words, "the result was perfection."

Franklin's first album for Atlantic, I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You), was released in 1967, and several hit-filled LPs followed. During this crucial period she enjoyed a succession of smash singles that included the rollicking "Baby I Love You," the pounding groove "Chain of Fools," the supercharged "Think," (which she wrote), the tender "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman," and a blistering take on Otis Redding's "Respect." The latter two would become Franklin's signature songs.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Franklin's version of "Respect," coming as it did at a crucial point for black activism, feminism, and sexual liberation, was particularly potent. Wexler noted that Franklin took Redding's more conventional take on the song and "turned it inside out, making it deeper, stronger, loading it with double entendres." What's more, he noted, "The fervor in Aretha's magnificent voice" implied not just everyday respect but "sexual attention of the highest order," as implied by the "sock it to me" backup chorus she and her sisters devised.

Writer Evelyn C. White, in an Essencepiece, referred to "Respect" as a revolutionary force in her own life. Franklin's "impassioned, soulful licks and sly innuendos about sexual pleasure made me feel good about myself," she wrote, "both as a black American and as a young girl about to discover sex." Eventually, the song would become an American pop standard. At the time of its release, however, it served primarily as a fight song for social change, and went on to score two trophies at that year's Grammy Awards.

Franklin's voice was crucial to the soundtrack of the era, and not just as a record playing on the radio. Franklin's father was a close friend of civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his family. When the crusading minister was assassinated in 1968, Franklin was enlisted to sing at his funeral. Wexler described her performance of "Precious Lord" as "a holy blend of truth and unspeakable tragedy."

Franklin also sang the National Anthem at the Democratic Party's riot-marred 1968 convention in Chicago. Yet even as her soulful wail soothed a number of difficult national transitions and transformations, Franklin's own changes were hidden from view. "I think of Aretha as 'Our Lady of Mysterious Sorrows,"' Wexler wrote. "Her eyes are incredible, luminous eyes covering inexplicable pain. Her depressions could be as deep as the dark sea. I don't pretend to know the sources of her anguish, but anguish surrounds Aretha as surely as the glory of her musical aura."

Despite her inner turmoil, Franklin enjoyed phenomenal commercial success during these years. A number of other blockbuster Atlantic albums followed her debut on the label, and she proceeded to take home Grammys every year between 1969 and 1975. Instead of slowing down after all her overwhelming success, she continued to explore rock and pop records for new material and recorded cover versions of songs by the Beatles, Elton John, the Band, Paul Simon, Jimi Hendrix, and many others. "She didn't think in terms of white or black tunes, or white or black rhythms," noted Wexler. "Her taste, like her genius, transcended categories."

In 1972 Franklin sang at the funeral of gospel giant Mahalia Jackson, which suggested her stature in the gospel world; it was no surprise when Amazing Grace, an album of church music she recorded with Wexler, soared up the pop charts that year. At the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977, she provided an a capella rendition of "God Bless America."

Triumphed Despite Turmoil

Having parted ways with husband/manager Ted White some years earlier, Franklin married actor Glynn Turman in 1978. They divorced six years later. By the end of the 1970s, her record sales had dwindled, but she took an attention-getting turn in the Blues Brothers movie, in which she both acted and sang. The film and the Blues Brothers albums, recorded by Saturday Night Live funnymen and blues and soul fanatics Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, helped fuel a new mainstream interest in 1960s soul.

In 1980 Franklin elected to leave Atlantic and sign with Arista Records. The label's slick production and commercial choice of material earned greater sales than she had enjoyed for some time, particularly for the single "Freeway of Love." She earned three more Grammys during the decade. Nonetheless, Dave DiMartino of Entertainment Weekly grumbled that most of her hits at Arista "have been assembled by big-name producers like Narada Michael Walden and might have easily featured another singer entirely - like, say, label mate Whitney Houston" ; DiMartino also objected to the relentless pairing of Franklin with other stars for much-hyped duets, remarking, "Like … Aretha Franklin needs a gimmick?"

In 1979 Franklin's father was shot by a burglar in his home and fell into a coma. He died several years later, having never regained consciousness. As Ebony's Randolph wrote, "When you've said as many goodbyes as Aretha, it's impossible not to be palpably shaped by loss." The singer cited a point during her father's hospitalization as the most difficult decision of her life. "We had to have a trach [a tracheotomy, a procedure that involves cutting through the vocal chords]," she confided, "and we were afraid it would affect his voice, which was certainly his living."

But beyond this and other painful incidents, further triumphs lay ahead for Franklin. She was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won a Grammy for best soul gospel performance, was the subject of an all-star documentary tribute broadcast on public television, sang at the inauguration of another president, Bill Clinton, in 1993, and won a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1995. Franklin might not have been the commercial powerhouse that some of her younger acolytes, like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, but she definitely had become an institution.

Franklin - who moved back to the Detroit area in the mid-1990s - announced plans for an autobiography and also made public her intention to start a record label, which would be called World Class Records. "I'm looking for space," she told the Boston Globe. "I'm the CEO." She continued to perform, her band by that time featuring two of her sons, Kecalf Cunningham and Teddy Richards.

Other projects, including film and television appearances, were also in the works. "I just strive for excellence pretty much across the board, whether it's as a producer, songwriter or singer," Franklin proclaimed to Boston Globe writer Smith. "I give people what I feel is best, not just what everyone says is 'hot.' I want to do things that are going to be meaningful and inspiring to them one way or another." Asked by the Detroit Free Press if she ever got tired of singing "Respect," the Queen of Soul replied, "Actually, no. I just find new ways of refreshing the song." Similarly, Franklin's voice continues to refresh new listeners.

Aretha Franklin

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singer; songwriter; gospel singer; actor

Personal Information

Born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, TN; daughter of Clarence L. (a Baptist minister) and Barbara Franklin (a gospel singer); married Ted White (a businessman and music manager), 1961 (divorced); married Glynn Turman (an actor), 1978 (divorced, 1984); children: Clarence, Edward, Teddy Richards, Kecalf Cunningham.

Career

Performed with father's touring revue, recorded gospel music for Chess label, 1950s; singer and songwriter, 1960-; Columbia Records, recording artist, 1960-67; Atlantic Records, recording artist, 1967-80; actress, 1980-; Arista Records, recording artist, 1980-.

Life's Work

When asked by Patricia Smith of the Boston Globe how she felt about being called the "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin's reply was characterized by grace but no false modesty. "It's an acknowledgment of my art," she mused. "It means I am excelling at my art and my first love. And I am most appreciative." Since she burst onto the public consciousness in the late 1960s with a batch of milestone recordings, Franklin has served as a standard against which all subsequent soul divas have been measured.

The combination of Franklin's gospel roots and some devastating life experiences have invested her voice with a rare--and often wrenching--authenticity. "It was like I had no idea what music was all about until I heard her sing," confessed singer-actress Bette Midler, as cited in Ebony. Though Franklin's work in ensuing decades has rarely matched the fire--or the sales figures--of her most celebrated singles, she has remained an enduring presence in contemporary music. The release of several CD retrospectives in the 1980s and 1990s, her 1999 autobiography, and her celebrated 2003 tour seemed to guarantee that her influence would continue unabated.

Birth of a Gospel Singer

Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee. She was raised in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of famed minister C. L. Franklin and gospel singer Barbara Franklin, who left the family when Aretha was small and died shortly thereafter. "She was the absolute lady," the Queen of Soul told Ebony's Laura B. Randolph, while at the same time admitting that her memories of her mother are few. For his part, the Reverend Franklin was no retiring clergyman; indeed, he enjoyed the popularity and, to some degree, the lifestyle of a pop star. He immediately recognized his daughter's prodigious abilities, offering to arrange for piano lessons; the child declined, instead teaching herself to play by listening to records.

Franklin's talent as a singer was such that her father took her on the road with his traveling gospel show. She sang regularly before his congregation at Detroit's New Bethel Baptist Church as well, and it was there that her performance of "Precious Lord," among other gospel gems, was captured for posterity. She was 14 years old but already a spellbinding performer. Producer Jerry Wexler--who shepherded Franklin to greatness on behalf of Atlantic Records some years later--was stunned by the 1956 recording. "The voice was not that of a child but rather of an ecstatic hierophant [a priest in ancient Greece]," he recalled in his book Rhythm and the Blues.

Franklin's life was no church social, however. She became a mother at age 15 and had her second child two years later. "I still wanted to get out and hang with my friends," she recollected to Ebony's Randolph, "so I wanted to be in two places at the same time. But my grandmother helped me a lot, and my sister and my cousin. They would babysit so I could get out occasionally."

Though she was first and foremost inspired by gospel music--the performance of "Peace in the Valley" by family friend Clara Ward at a funeral was a seminal influence on her desire to sing--Franklin soon became interested in non-religious music. Rather than dissuade her from this secular path, as some might have expected, her father encouraged her. In 1960 she traveled to New York, embarked on vocal and dance lessons, and hired a manager. She then began recording demonstration tapes.

Marriage of Gospel and Pop

While the R&B stars of Detroit's Motown label won a crossover, or white, audience by tempering their wicked grooves with a playful elegance, their southern counterparts never bothered to tone down the raw physicality of the music. Like singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles, who has often been credited with the invention of "soul music," Franklin brought the fire of gospel to pop music, her spiritual force in no way separated from her earthy sexuality.

Celebrated Columbia Records executive John Hammond was so taken by Franklin's recordings that he signed her immediately. Her first Columbia album was issued in the fall of 1960. While a few singles made a respectable showing on the charts, it was clear that the label wasn't adequately showcasing her gifts, either in its choice of material or production. "I cherish the recordings we made together," remarked Hammond in Rhythm and the Blues, "but, finally, Columbia was a white company [that] misunderstood her genius."

Franklin's manager at the time, Ted White, was also her husband; they agreed that she should pursue other options when her contract expired. Wexler leapt at the opportunity to sign her to Atlantic; he originally intended to send her to Memphis to record with the staff of the legendary Stax/Volt studios, who'd already made landmark recordings with the likes of Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Wexler himself had his hands full with other projects, but the task of producing Franklin's first Atlantic sides ultimately fell to him, Arif Mardin, and Tom Dowd.

Wexler brought Franklin to the Florence Alabama Music Emporium (FAME) studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record with a unique group of musicians adept in soul, blues, pop, country, and rock. This able crew was stunned by Franklin's power and prowess. Accompanying herself on piano, she deftly controlled the tone and arrangement of the songs she performed; this was an integral part of Wexler's strategy to capture her natural brilliance on tape. Backing vocals were provided either by her sisters Carolyn and Erma or by the vocal group the Sweet Inspirations, which featured Cissy Houston, mother of future singing star Whitney Houston. Wexler also brought in young rock lions like guitarists Duane Allman and Eric Clapton for guest spots.

Unfortunately, only one of two songs--"I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)"--was finished when White and one of the musicians had a drunken row. White grabbed Franklin and they vanished for a period of weeks. Wexler balanced jubilation with anxiety; radio programmers around the country embraced "I Never Loved a Man," and distributors clamored for an album, but the artist was nowhere to be found. At last she surfaced in New York, where she completed the unfinished "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"; in Wexler's words, "the result was perfection."

Earning R E S P E C T

Franklin's first album for Atlantic, I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You), was released in 1967, and several hit-filled LPs followed. During this crucial period she enjoyed a succession of smash singles that included "I Never Loved a Man," the rollicking "Baby I Love You," the pounding groove "Chain of Fools," the supercharged "Think," which she wrote, the tender, anthemic "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman," and a blistering take on Otis Redding's "Respect." The latter two would become Franklin's signature songs. With "Natural Woman," according to the Boston Globe's Smith, "She gathers broken women in the circle of her arms, stitches our wounds with a wondrous thread."

Writer Evelyn C. White, in an Essence piece, referred to "Respect" as a revolutionary force in her own life. Franklin's "impassioned, soulful licks and sly innuendos about sexual pleasure made me feel good about myself," she wrote, "both as a black American and as a young girl about to discover sex." Eventually, the song would become an American pop standard; its spelling out of the title word would be referenced in countless articles and commercials. At the time of its release, however, it served primarily as a fight song for social change. It scored two trophies at that year's Grammy Awards.

Franklin's voice was crucial to the soundtrack of the era, and not just as a record playing on the radio. Franklin's father was a close friend of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., and as a result, she herself was close to King and his family. When the crusading minister was assassinated in 1968, Franklin was enlisted to sing at his funeral. Wexler described her performance of "Precious Lord" as "a holy blend of truth and unspeakable tragedy."

Franklin also sang the National Anthem at the Democratic Party's riot-marred 1968 convention in Chicago. Yet even as her soulful wail soothed a number of difficult national transitions and transformations, Franklin's own changes were hidden from view. "I think of Aretha as 'Our Lady of Mysterious Sorrows,'" Wexler wrote. "Her eyes are incredible, luminous eyes covering inexplicable pain. Her depressions could be as deep as the dark sea. I don't pretend to know the sources of her anguish, but anguish surrounds Aretha as surely as the glory of her musical aura."

Despite her inner turmoil, Franklin enjoyed phenomenal commercial success during these years. A number of other blockbuster Atlantic albums followed her debut on the label, and she proceeded to take home Grammys every year between 1969 and 1975. Still, she did not rest on her laurels; rather, she constantly explored rock and pop records for new material and recorded cover versions of songs by the Beatles, Elton John, the Band, Paul Simon, Jimi Hendrix, and many others. "She didn't think in terms of white or black tunes, or white or black rhythms," noted Wexler. "Her taste, like her genius, transcended categories."

In 1972 Franklin sang at the funeral of gospel giant Mahalia Jackson, which suggested her stature in the gospel world; it was no surprise when Amazing Grace, an album of church music she recorded with Wexler, soared up the pop charts that year. At the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977, she provided an a capella rendition of "God Bless America."

A Period of Decline

Having parted ways with husband/manager Ted White some years earlier--stories circulated in the press charging that he'd struck her in public--Franklin married actor Glynn Turman in 1978. They divorced some six years later. By the end of the 1970s, her record sales had dwindled, but she took an attention-getting turn in the Blues Brothers movie, in which she both acted and sang; the film and the Blues Brothers albums, recorded by Saturday Night Live funnymen and blues and soul fanatics Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, helped fuel a new mainstream interest in 1960s soul.

In 1980 Franklin elected to leave Atlantic and sign with Arista Records; the label's slick production and commercial choice of material earned greater sales than she had enjoyed for some time, particularly for the single "Freeway of Love." She earned three more Grammys during the decade. Nonetheless, Dave DiMartino of Entertainment Weekly groused that most of her hits at Arista "have been assembled by big-name producers like Narada Michael Walden and might have easily featured another singer entirely--like, say, label mate Whitney Houston." DiMartino also objected to the relentless pairing of Franklin with other stars for much-hyped duets, remarking, "Like ... Aretha Franklin needs a gimmick?" Most critics agree that Franklin's 1980s recordings do not stand up to her earlier or her later work.

In 1979 Franklin's father was shot by a burglar in his home and fell into a coma. He died several years later, having never regained consciousness. As Ebony's Randolph wrote, "When you've said as many goodbyes as Aretha, it's impossible not to be palpably shaped by loss." The singer cited a point during her father's hospitalization as the most difficult decision of her life. "We had to have a trach [a tracheotomy, a procedure that involves cutting through the vocal chords]," she confided, "and we were afraid it would affect his voice, which was certainly his living."

The Queen Is Still On

Despite the difficulties of the early 1980s, further triumphs lay ahead for Franklin. She was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, won a Grammy for best soul gospel performance in 1988, and was the subject of an all-star documentary tribute broadcast on public television. She also sang at the inauguration of president Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1997, and won a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1995. Franklin might not have been the commercial powerhouse that some of her younger acolytes, like Houston and Mariah Carey, had become, but when she appeared in the VH1 television program "Divas Live: The One and Only Aretha Franklin" in 2001, she confirmed that she truly was one of the great entertainers of the century.

Franklin moved back to the Detroit area in the mid-1990s and began to assert more control over her musical career. She announced her intention to start a record label, which would be called World Class Records. "I'm looking for space," she told the Boston Globe. "I'm the CEO." With her new label she was able to promote the musical careers of her sons, Kecalf Cunningham, Eddy Richards, and Teddy Richards.

In 1998 Franklin released a new album, A Rose Is Still a Rose. With tracks produced by rising stars Sean "Puffy" Combs (later known as P. Diddy) and Lauryn Hill, the album showed that Franklin could keep up with current hip-hop sounds. Critics hailed the album as her best effort in many years, and she followed it in 2003 with So Damn Happy, which featured collaborations with contemporary stars Mary J. Blige and Troy Taylor, and music veterans like Burt Bacharach. Though the albums proved that Franklin could keep up with musical trends, what made them stand out was the thing that had always made Franklin great: her voice. The producers seemed to understand what Franklin's fan always knew: that her voice was a natural treasure.

Franklin had always performed occasionally, but in 2003 she set out on an extensive tour to sold-out dates across the country. Though many wondered if "The Queen Is On" tour would be her last, Franklin told Jet: "I'm going to always be singing. Singing is definitely my thing...."

Awards

15 Grammy awards, including 1995 lifetime achievement award; honorary Doctor of Law degree, Bethune-Cookman College, 1974; American Music Award, 1984; Ebony magazine, American Black Achievement Award, 1984; declared "natural resource" of home state of Michigan, 1985; first woman inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1987; Entertainment Weekly magazine, named one of the greatest entertainers of the twentieth century, 1999; Black Entertainment Television (BET), Walk of Fame Award, 2003.

Works

Selected works

Discography

The Great Aretha Franklin, Columbia, 1960.
The Electrifying Aretha Franklin, Columbia, 1962.
The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin, Columbia, 1962.
Aretha Franklin's Greatest Hits, Columbia, 1967.
I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You) (includes "I Never Loved a Man [the Way I Love You]," "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," "Baby I Love You," and "Respect"), Atlantic, 1967.
Aretha Arrives (includes "[You Make Me Feel Like a] Natural Woman" and "Chain of Fools"), Atlantic, 1967.
Take a Look, Columbia, 1967.
Lady Soul, Atlantic, 1968.
Aretha Now, Atlantic, 1968.
Aretha in Paris, Atlantic, 1968.
Soul '69, Atlantic, 1969.
Aretha's Gold, Atlantic, 1969.
This Girl's in Love with You, Atlantic, 1970.
Spirit in the Dark, Atlantic, 1970.
Aretha Live at Fillmore West, Atlantic, 1971.
Young, Gifted and Black, Atlantic, 1972.
Amazing Grace, Atlantic, 1972.
The Beginning/The World of Aretha Franklin 1960-1967, Columbia, 1972.
Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), Atlantic, 1973.
Let Me in Your Life, Atlantic, 1974.
Everything I Feel in Me, Atlantic, 1975.
Ten Years of Gold, Atlantic, 1977.
Sweet Passion, Atlantic, 1977.
Almighty Fire, Atlantic, 1978.
La Diva, Atlantic, 1979.
Aretha, Arista, 1980.
Jump to It, Arista, 1982.
Get It Right, Arista, 1984.
Who's Zoomin'Who? (includes "Freeway of Love"), Arista, 1985.
Aretha, Arista, 1987.
Love All the Hurt Away, Arista, 1987.
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, Arista, 1988.
Through the Storm, Arista, 1989.
What You See Is What You Sweat, Arista, 1991.
Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings, Atlantic, 1992.
Greatest Hits: 1980-1994, Arista, 1994.
A Rose Is Still a Rose, Arista, 1998.
So Damn Happy, Arista, 2003.

Films

The Blues Brothers, 1980.
Blues Brothers 2000, 1998.

Recordings with other artists

Curtis Mayfield, Sparkle (soundtrack), 1976.
"Think," The Blues Brothers (soundtrack), 1979.
"Jumpin'Jack Flash," Jumpin'Jack Flash (soundtrack), 1986.
George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)," Columbia, 1987.
"If I Lose", White Men Can't Jump (soundtrack), EMI, 1992.
All Men Are Brothers: A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield, 1994.

Television

"Aretha," 1986.
"Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul," 1988.
"Duets," 1993.
"Divas Live: The One and Only Aretha Franklin," VH1, 2001.

Writings

Aretha: From These Roots (autobiography; with David Ritz), Villard, 1999.

Aretha Franklin

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Franklin, Aretha, 1942-, American singer, b. Memphis. She began singing in the choir of her father's church. Known as the "Queen of Soul," she recorded such hits as "Respect," "Chain of Fools," and "Who's Zoomin' Who," "(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman," and "Highway of Love."

Bibliography

See her autobiography (with David Ritz, 1999).

Quotes By:

Aretha Franklin

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Quotes:

"I've always felt rock and roll was very, very wholesome music."

"If a song's about something I've experienced or that could've happened to me it's good. But if it's alien to me, I couldn't lend anything to it. Because that's what soul is all about."

Gale Musician Profiles:

Aretha Franklin

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For The Record...

Born March 25, 1942, in Memphis, TN; daughter of Clarence L. (a Baptist minister) and Barbara Franklin (a gospel singer); married Ted White (a businessman and music manager), 1961 (divorced); married Glynn Turman (an actor), 1978 (divorced, 1984); children: Clarence, Edward, Teddy Richards, Kecalf Cunningham.

Performed with father’s touring revue, recorded gospel music for Chess label, 1950s; signed with Columbia Records and released debut album The Great Aretha Franklin, 1960; signed with Atlantic Records and released I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You), 1967; performed at funeral of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968; performed at Democratic National Convention, 1968; performed at inauguration of President Jimmy Carter, 1977; appeared in film The Blues Brothers, 1980; signed with Arista Records and released Aretha, 1980; appeared in television specials “Aretha,” 1986, “Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul,” 1988, and “Duets,” 1993; performed at inauguration of President Bill Clinton, 1993; signed contract with Villard publisher for autobiography, 1995; contributor to The Songs of West Side Story, 1996.

Awards: 15 Grammy awards, including 1995 lifetime achievement award; honorary Doctor of Law degree, Bethune-Cookman College, 1974; American Music Award, 1984; American Black Achievement Award, Ebony magazine, 1984; declared “natural resource” of home state of Michigan, 1985; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1987.

Addresses: Record company —Arista Records, 6 West 57th St., New York, NY 11019; 9975 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Singer, songwriter

When asked by Patricia Smith of the Boston Globe how she felt about being called the "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin’s reply was characterized by grace but no false modesty. "It’s an acknowledgment of my art," she mused. "It means I am excelling at my art and my first love. And I am most appreciative." Since she burst onto the public consciousness in the late 1960s with a batch of milestone recordings, Franklin has served as a standard against which all subsequent soul divas have been measured.

The combination of Franklin’s gospel roots and some devastating life experiences have invested her voice with a rare—and often wrenching—authenticity. "It was like I had no idea what music was all about until I heard her sing," confessed singer-actress Bette Midler, as cited in Ebony. Though Franklin’s work in later decades has rarely matched the fire—or the sales figures—of her most celebrated singles, she has remained an enduring presence in contemporary music. The release of several CD retrospectives and the announcement in 1995 that she would publish an autobiography and start her own record label seemed to guarantee that her influence would continue unabated.

Franklin was raised in Detroit, the daughter of famed minister C. L. Franklin and gospel singer Barbara Franklin, who left the family when Aretha was small and died shortly thereafter. The singer told Ebony’s Laura B. Randolph, "She was the absolute lady," although she admits that memories of her mother are few. The Reverend Franklin was no retiring clergyman; he enjoyed the popularity and, to some degree, the lifestyle of a pop star. He immediately recognized his daughter’s prodigious abilities, and offered to arrange for piano lessons. However, the child declined, instead teaching herself to play by listening to records.

Gospel Roots
Franklin’s talent as a singer allowed her to perform with her father’s traveling gospel show. She sang regularly before his congregation at Detroit’s New Bethel Baptist Church as well, where her performance of "Precious Lord," among other gospel gems, was captured for posterity. She was 14 years old but already a spellbinding performer. Producer Jerry Wexler—who shepherded Franklin to greatness on behalf of Atlantic Records some years later—was stunned by the 1956 recording. "The voice was not that of a child but rather of an ecstatic hierophant [a priest in ancient Greece]," he recalled in his book Rhythm and the Blues.

Franklin’s life was no church social, however. She became a mother at age 15 and had her second child two

years later. "I still wanted to get out and hang with my friends," she told Ebony’s Randolph, "so I wanted to be in two places at the same time. But my grandmother helped me a lot, and my sister and my cousin. They would babysit so I could get out occasionally."

Alhough first inspired by gospel music, Franklin soon became interested in non-religious music. After receiving her father’s encouragement, she traveled to New York in 1960, embarked on vocal and dance lessons, and hired a manager. She then began recording demonstration tapes. Like singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles, who has often been credited with the invention of "soul music," Franklin brought the fire of gospel to pop music, her spiritual force in no way separated from her earthy sexuality.

Collaborations Launched Career
Celebrated Columbia Records executive John Hammond was so taken by Franklin’s recordings that he signed her immediately. Her first Columbia album was issued in the fall of 1960. While a few singles made a respectable showing on the charts, it was clear that the label wasn’t adequately showcasing her gifts, either in its choice of material or production. "I cherish the recordings we made together," remarked Hammond in Rhythm and the Blues, "but, finally, Columbia was a white company [that] misunderstood her genius."

Franklin and her husband/manager, Ted White, agreed that she should pursue other options when her contract expired. Wexler leapt at the opportunity to sign her to Atlantic, and eventually he, Arif Mardin, and Tom Dowd produced Franklin’s first Atlantic sides.

Wexler brought Franklin to the Florence Alabama Music Emporium (FAME) studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record with a unique group of musicians adept in soul, blues, pop, country, and rock. This crew was stunned by Franklin’s power and prowess. Accompanying herself on piano, she deftly controlled the tone and arrangement of the songs she performed. Backing vocals were provided either by her sisters Carolyn and Ermaor by the vocal group the Sweet Inspirations, whichfeatured Cissy Houston, mother of future singing star Whitney Houston. Wexler also brought in young rock guitarists Duane Allman and Eric Clapton for guest spots.

Unfortunately, only one of two songs—"I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)"—was finished when White and one of the musicians had a drunken row; White grabbed Franklin and they vanished for a period of weeks. Wexler balanced jubilation with anxiety, as radio programmers around the country embraced "I Never Loved a Man," and distributors clamored for an album. But the artist was nowhere to be found. At last she surfaced in New York, where she completed the unfinished "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," and inWexler’s words, "the result was perfection."

Franklin’s first album for Atlantic, I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You), was released in 1967, and several hit-filled LPs followed. During this crucial period she enjoyed a succession of smash singles that included the rollicking "Baby I Love You," the pounding groove "Chainof Fools," the supercharged "Think," (which she wrote), the tender" (You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman," and a blistering take on Otis Redding’s "Respect." The latter two would become Franklin’s signature songs.

Franklin’s version of "Respect," coming as it did at a crucial point for black activism, feminism, and sexual liberation, was particularly potent. Wexler noted that Franklin took Redding’s more conventional take on the song and "turned it inside out, making it deeper, stronger, loading it with double entendres." What’s more, he noted, "The fervor in Aretha’s magnificent voice" implied not just everyday respect but "sexual attention of the highest order," as implied by the "sock it to me" backup chorus she and her sisters devised.

Writer Evelyn C. White, in an Essence piece, referred to "Respect" as a revolutionary force in her own life. Franklin’s "impassioned, soulful licks and sly innuendos about sexual pleasure made me feel good about myself," she wrote, "both as a black American and as a young girl about to discover sex." Eventually, the song would become an American pop standard. At the time of its release, however, it served primarily as a fight song for social change, and went on to score two trophies at that year’s Grammy Awards.

Franklin’s voice was crucial to the soundtrack of the era, and not just as a record playing on the radio. Franklin’s father was a closef riend of civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his family. When the crusading minister was assassinated in 1968, Franklin was enlisted to sing at his funeral. Wexler described her performance of "Precious Lord" as "a holy blend of truth and unspeakable tragedy."

Franklin also sang the National Anthem at the Democratic Party’s riot-marred 1968 convention in Chicago. Yet even as her soulful wail soothed a number of difficult national transitions and transformations, Franklin’s own changes were hidden from view. "I think of Aretha as ‘Our Lady of Mysterious Sorrows, ’" Wexler wrote. "Her eyes are incredible, luminous eyes covering inexplicable pain. Her depressions could be as deep as the dark sea. I don’t pretend to know the sources of her anguish, but anguish surrounds Aretha as surely as the glory of her musical aura."

Despite her inner turmoil, Franklin enjoyed phenomenal commercial success during these years. A number of other blockbuster Atlantic albums followed her debut on the label, and she proceeded to take home Grammys every year between 1969 and 1975. Instead of slowing down after all her overwhelming success, she continued to explore rock and pop records for new material and recorded cover versions of songs by the Beatles, Elton John, the Band, Paul Simon, Jimi Hendrix, and many others. "She didn’t think in terms of white or black tunes, or white or black rhythms," noted Wexler. "Her taste, like her genius, transcended categories."

In 1972 Franklin sang at the funeral of gospel giant Mahalia Jackson, which suggested her stature in the gospel world; it was no surprise when Amazing Grace, an album of church music she recorded with Wexler, soared up the pop charts that year. At the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter in 1977, she provided an a capella rendition of "God Bless America."

Triumphed Despite Turmoil
Having parted ways with husband/manager Ted White some years earlier, Franklin married actor Glynn Tur-man in 1978. They divorced six years later. By the end of the 1970s, her record sales had dwindled, but she took an attention-getting turn in the Blues Brothers movie, in which she both acted and sang. The film and the Blues Brothers albums, recorded by Saturday Night Live funnymen and blues and soul fanatics Dan Ayk-royd and John Belushi, helped fuel a new mainstream interest in 1960s soul.

In 1980 Franklin elected to leave Atlantic and sign with Arista Records. The label’s slick production and commercial choice of material earned greater sales than she had enjoyed for some time, particularly for the single "Freeway of Love." She earned three more Grammys during the decade. Nonetheless, Dave DiMartino of Entertainment Weekly grumbled that most of her hits at Arista "have been assembled by big-name producers like Narada Michael Walden and might have easily featured another singer entirely—like, say, label mate Whitney Houston" DiMartino also objected to the relentless pairing of Franklin with other stars for much-hyped duets, remarking, "Like… Aretha Franklin needs a gimmick?"

In 1979 Franklin’s father was shot by a burglar in his home and fell into a coma. He died several years later, having never regained consciousness. As Ebony’s Randolph wrote, "When you’ve said as many goodbyes as Aretha, it’s impossible not to be palpably shaped by loss." The singer cited a point during her father’s hospi-talization as the most difficult decision of her life. "We had to have a trach [a tracheotomy, a procedure that involves cutting through the vocal chords]," she confided, "and we were afraid it would affect his voice, which was certainly his living."

But beyond this and other painful incidents, further triumphs lay ahead for Franklin. She was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won a Grammy for best soul gospel performance, was the subject of an all-star documentary tribute broadcast on public television, sang at the inauguration of another president, Bill Clinton, in 1993, and won a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1995. Franklin might not have been the commercial powerhouse that some of her younger acolytes, like Houston and Mariah Carey, but she definitely had become an institution.

Franklin—who moved back to the Detroit area in the mid-1990s—announced plans for an autobiography in 1995 and also made public her intention to start a record label, which would be called World Class Records. "I’m looking for space," she told the Boston Globe. "I’m the CEO." She continued to perform, her band by that time featuring two of her sons, Kecalf Cunningham and Teddy Richards.

Other projects, including film and television appearances, were also in the works. "I just strive for excellence pretty much across the board, whether it’s as a producer, songwriter or singer," Franklin proclaimed to Boston Globe writer Smith. "I give people what I feel is best, not just what everyone says is ‘hot.’ I want to do things that are going to be meaningful and inspiring to them one way or another." Asked by the Detroit Free Press if she ever got tired of singing "Respect," the Queen of Soul replied, "Actually, no. I just find new ways of refreshing the song." Similarly, Franklin’s voice continues to refresh new listeners.

Selected discography
The Great Aretha Franklin, Columbia, 1960.
The Electrifying Aretha Franklin, Columbia, 1962.
The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin, Columbia, 1962.
Aretha Franklin’s Greatest Hits, Columbia, 1967.
I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You), Atlantic, 1967.
Aretha Arrives, Atlantic, 1967.
Take a Look, Columbia, 1967.
Lady Soul, Atlantic, 1968.
Aretha Now, Atlantic, 1968.
Aretha in Paris, Atlantic, 1968.
Soul ’69, Atlantic, 1969.
Aretha’s Gold, Atlantic, 1969.
This Girl’s in Love with You, Atlantic, 1970.
Spirit in the Dark, Atlantic, 1970.
Aretha Live at Fillmore West, Atlantic, 1971.
Young, Gifted and Black, Atlantic, 1972.
Amazing Grace, Atlantic, 1972.
The Beginning/The World of Aretha Franklin 1960-1967, Columbia, 1972.
Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), Atlantic, 1973.
Let Me in Your Life, Atlantic, 1974.
Everything I Feel in Me, Atlantic, 1975.
Ten Years of Gold, Atlantic, 1977.
Sweet Passion, Atlantic, 1977.
Almighty Fire, Atlantic, 1978.
La Diva, Atlantic, 1979.
Aretha, Arista, 1980.
Jump to It, Arista, 1982.
Get It Right, Arista, 1984.
Who’s Zoomin’ Who?, Arista, 1985.
Aretha, Arista, 1987.
Love All the Hurt Away, Arista, 1987.
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, Arista, 1988.
Through the Storm, Arista, 1989.
What You See Is What You Sweat, Arista, 1991.
Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings, Atlantic, 1992.
Greatest Hits: 1980-1994, Arista, 1994.

With other artists
Curtis Mayfield, Sparkle (soundtrack), 1976.
"Think," The Blues Brothers (soundtrack), 1979.
"Jumpin’ Jack Flash," Jumpin’Jack Flash (soundtrack), 1986.
George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)," Columbia, 1987.
"If I Lose", White Men Can’t Jump (soundtrack), EMI, 1992.
All Men Are Brothers: A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield, 1994.

Sources
Books
Rees, Dafydd, and Luke Crampton, Rock Movers&Shakers, Billboard, 1991.
Wexler, Jerry, and David Ritz, Rhythm and the Blues: A Life in American Music, Knopf, 1993.

Periodicals
Boston Globe, June 14, 1991, p. 39; March 21, 1994, p. 30; September 29, 1995, p. 55.
Detroit Free Press, June 10, 1994, p. 3D; June 18, 1994, p. 2A.
Ebony, April 1995, pp. 28-33.
Entertainment Weekly, May 15, 1992, p. 64.
Essence, August 1995, pp. 73-77.
Jet, August 21, 1995, p. 33.
People, February 19, 1996, p. 22.

AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Aretha Franklin

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Genres: Rhythm & Blues

Biography

Aretha Franklin is one of the giants of soul music, and indeed of American pop as a whole. More than any other performer, she epitomized soul at its most gospel-charged. Her astonishing run of late-'60s hits with Atlantic Records -- "Respect," "I Never Loved a Man," "Chain of Fools," "Baby I Love You," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Think," "The House That Jack Built," and several others -- earned her the title "Lady Soul," which she has worn uncontested ever since. Yet as much of an international institution as she's become, much of her work -- outside of her recordings for Atlantic in the late '60s and early '70s -- is erratic and only fitfully inspired, making discretion a necessity when collecting her records.

Franklin's roots in gospel ran extremely deep. With her sisters Carolyn and Erma (both of whom would also have recording careers), she sang at the Detroit church of her father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, while growing up in the 1950s. In fact, she made her first recordings as a gospel artist at the age of 14. It has also been reported that Motown was interested in signing Aretha back in the days when it was a tiny start-up. Ultimately, however, Franklin ended up with Columbia, to which she was signed by the renowned talent scout John Hammond.

Franklin would record for Columbia constantly throughout the first half of the '60s, notching occasional R&B hits (and one Top 40 single, "Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody") but never truly breaking out as a star. The Columbia period continues to generate considerable controversy among critics, many of whom feel that Aretha's true aspirations were being blunted by pop-oriented material and production. In fact, there's a reasonable amount of fine items to be found on the Columbia sides, including the occasional song ("Lee Cross," "Soulville") where she belts out soul with real gusto. It's undeniably true, though, that her work at Columbia was considerably tamer than what was to follow, and suffered in general from a lack of direction and an apparent emphasis on trying to develop her as an all-around entertainer, rather than as an R&B/soul singer.

When Franklin left Columbia for Atlantic, producer Jerry Wexler was determined to bring out her most soulful, fiery traits. As part of that plan, he had her record her first single, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," at Muscle Shoals in Alabama with esteemed Southern R&B musicians. In fact, that was to be her only session actually at Muscle Shoals, but much of the remainder of her '60s work would be recorded with the Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section, although the sessions would actually take place in New York City. The combination was one of those magic instances of musical alchemy in pop: the backup musicians provided a much grittier, soulful, and R&B-based accompaniment for Aretha's voice, which soared with a passion and intensity suggesting a spirit that had been allowed to fly loose for the first time.

In the late '60s, Franklin became one of the biggest international recording stars in all of pop. Many also saw Franklin as a symbol of black America itself, reflecting the increased confidence and pride of African-Americans in the decade of the civil rights movement and other triumphs for the black community. The chart statistics are impressive in and of themselves: ten Top Ten hits in a roughly 18-month span between early 1967 and late 1968, for instance, and a steady stream of solid mid- to large-size hits for the next five years after that. Her Atlantic albums were also huge sellers, and far more consistent artistically than those of most soul stars of the era. Franklin was able to maintain creative momentum, in part, because of her eclectic choice of material, which encompassed first-class originals and gospel, blues, pop, and rock covers, from the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel to Sam Cooke and the Drifters. She was also a fine, forceful, and somewhat underrated keyboardist.

Franklin's commercial and artistic success was unabated in the early '70s, during which she landed more huge hits with "Spanish Harlem," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and "Day Dreaming." She also produced two of her most respected, and earthiest, album releases with Live at Fillmore West and Amazing Grace. The latter, a 1972 double LP, was a reinvestigation of her gospel roots, recorded with James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir. Remarkably, it made the Top Ten, counting as one of the greatest gospel-pop crossover smashes of all time.

Franklin had a few more hits over the next few years -- "Angel" and the Stevie Wonder cover "Until You Come Back to Me" being the most notable. Her Atlantic contract ended at the end of the 1970s, and since then she's managed to get intermittent hits -- "Who's Zooming Who" and "Jump to It" are among the most famous. Many of her successes were duets, or crafted with the assistance of contemporaries such as Luther Vandross. In 1986 Franklin released her follow-up to Who’s Zoomin’ Who?, the self-titled Aretha, which saw the single “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me,” a duet with George Michael, hit the top of the charts. There was also another return to gospel in 1987 with One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. Franklin shifted back to pop with 1989’s Through the Storm, but it wasn’t a commercial success, and neither was 1991’s new jack swing-styled What You See Is What You Sweat.

Now solidly an iconic figure and acknowledged as one of the best singers of her generation no matter what her record sales were, Franklin contributed songs to several movie soundtracks in the next few years before releasing the R&B-based A Rose Is Still a Rose in 1998. So Damn Happy followed five years later in 2003 and again saw disappointing sales, but it did generate the Grammy-winning song “Wonderful.” Franklin left Arista Records that same year after 23 years and started her own label, Aretha’s Records, two years later in 2005. A duets compilation, Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen, was issued in 2007, followed by her first holiday album, 2008’s This Christmas Aretha, originally as a Borders exclusive and then distributed by DMI. The first release on her own label, Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love, appeared in the spring of 2011. Despite sometimes poor health, she continued to select new projects to work on, ever the institution, her reputation secure as one of the best singers of the modern era. ~ Richie Unterberger & Steve Leggett, Rovi

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Aretha Franklin

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Aretha Franklin
Franklin performing at President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Aretha Louise Franklin
Born	March 25, 1942 (1942-03-25) (age 69) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Soul, jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, funk, rock
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, pianist
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1956–present
Labels	Columbia (1960-1966) Atlantic (1967-1979) Arista (1980-2003) Aretha (2004-)
Associated acts	Sweet Inspirations, Carolyn Franklin, Erma Franklin, Cissy Houston, George Benson, George Michael, Michael McDonald, Eurythmics

Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" list,^[1] as well as the ninth greatest artist of all time. She has won 18 competitive Grammys and two honorary Grammys. She has 20 No.1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and two No.1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Respect" (1967) and "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987), a duet with George Michael. Since 1961, she has scored a total of 45 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Between 1967 and 1982 she had 10 No.1 R&B albums—more than any other female artist. In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Biography

This section, except for a bare handful of footnotes, needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012)

Early life and career: 1942–1959

Aretha Franklin's birthplace at 406 Lucy Ave. in Memphis, Tennessee

Aretha Louise Franklin (named for two aunts) was born in a two-room house in Memphis, Tennessee, at 406 Lucy Avenue.^[2] She was the third of four children born to Barbara (née Siggers) and C.L. Franklin and the fifth of six overall in between past relationships by her parents. Aretha's family moved to Buffalo when she was two years old, and then by four they had settled in Detroit. Following the move to Detroit, Franklin's parents, who had a troubled marriage, split. Due to her father's work as a Baptist minister, Franklin was primarily raised by her grandmother, Rachel. Her mother died in Buffalo when Aretha was ten. Franklin sang in church at an early age and learned how to play piano by ear.

By her late preteens, Franklin was regularly singing solo numbers in her father's New Bethel Baptist Church. C.L. (née Clarence LaVaughn) Franklin, Aretha's father, was a respected local preacher. She grew up with local and national celebrities hanging out at her father's home, including gospel greats Albertina Walker and her group The Caravans, Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward, three women who played a pivotal role in her vocal development as a child.

Early success: 1960–1966

She released her first single for Columbia in September 1960, aged 18. It reached No. 10 on Billboard's R&B chart. Her first album was released in January 1961. The label had her record mainly jazz-influenced pop music, hoping for success with this format as the label had with Billie Holiday. Columbia founder John H. Hammond acknowledged in an interview years later that he felt Columbia did not really understand Franklin's background in gospel and failed to bring that aspect out in her secular recordings.^[3] After scoring two more Top 10 R&B hits with "Operation Heartbreak" and "Won't Be Long" in 1961, Franklin scored her first Top 40 pop hit with her rendition of "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody". Later releases failed to find similar success, although Franklin had a near-Top 50 hit with "Runnin' Out of Fools" (1963).

After the release of a tribute album to Dinah Washington, Columbia drifted away from their early jazz dreams for Franklin and had the singer record renditions of girl group-oriented hits including "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)", "Every Little Bit Hurts" and "Mockingbird" but every attempt to bring her success with the material failed. This did not, however, prevent her building a reputation as a multi-talented vocalist and musician. During a show in 1965, the master of ceremonies gave Franklin a tiara and declared her "the queen of soul". The title would prove to be prophetic. By 1966, struggling with recording for Columbia, Franklin decided not to sign a new contract with the label and settled on a deal with Atlantic. After she gained success at Atlantic, Columbia began releasing Franklin material from its vaults, and continues doing so.

Stardom: 1967–1972

Franklin began recording her first songs for Atlantic in early 1967. Initially sent to Muscle Shoals's legendary FAME studios where the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section was the in-house band, Franklin cut her first song – the blues ballad "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)",^[3] which finally allowed Franklin to show her gospel side. Tensions between Franklin's then-husband and then-manager Ted White and a musician led to Franklin and White hiding from public view in New York. Franklin eventually returned to the studio in New York to record the b-side, the gospel-oriented "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man". "I Never Loved a Man" soared up both the pop and R&B charts upon its release peaking at number-nine and number-one respectively.

Her second single with Atlantic would also be her biggest, most acclaimed work. "Respect",^[3] originally recorded and written by R&B singer Otis Redding, would become a bigger hit after Franklin's gospel-fueled rendition of the song. The song also started a pattern of Franklin in later songs during this period producing a call and response vocal with Franklin usually backed up by her sisters Erma and Carolyn Franklin or The Sweet Inspirations. Franklin is credited with arranging the background vocals and ad-libbing the line, "r-e-s-p-e-c-t, find out what it means to me/take care of TCB", while her sisters shouted afterwards, "sock it to me". Franklin's version peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming a 1960s anthem. Franklin had three more top ten hits in 1967 – "Baby I Love You", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "Chain of Fools".^[3] "Respect" later won Franklin her first two Grammys. She eventually won eight consecutive Grammys under the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category.^[4]

By the end of the year, Franklin not only became a star but she stood as one of the symbols of the civil rights movement partially due to her rendition of "Respect", which had a feminist-powered theme after Franklin recorded it. Franklin's other hits during the late 1960s included "Think",^[3] her rendition of Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer", "Ain't No Way" and "The House That Jack Built" among others. By the end of the 1960s, Franklin's title as "the queen of soul" became permanent in the eyes of the media. After a few struggles in 1969, she returned with the ballad, "Call Me" in January 1970. That same year she had another hit with her gospel version of Ben E. King's "Don't Play That Song", while in 1971, Franklin was one of the first black performers to headline Fillmore West^[5] where she later released a live album. That same year she released the acclaimed Young, Gifted & Black album, which featured two top ten hits, the ballad "Daydreamin'" and the funk-oriented "Rocksteady". In 1972, she released her first gospel album in nearly two decades with Amazing Grace. The album eventually became her biggest-selling release ever, selling over two million copies and becoming the best-selling gospel album of all time.

Decline and fallout with Atlantic: 1973–1979

Aretha had another number-one R&B hit in 1973 with the Carolyn Franklin and William "Sonny" Sanders-composed "Angel", however its parent album, Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), failed to repeat the success of Franklin's other albums. By 1974, after four years performing in Afrocentric-styled clothing, the singer glammed up her look and styled red hair releasing Let Me In Your Life. The album yielded the smash single, "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)".^{[citation needed]} While several singles would later find success on the R&B charts, Franklin was losing favor with pop audiences as soul music was starting to be overtaken by the emerging disco genre. Atlantic Records had also by this point given priority attention to Roberta Flack, leading to relations between Franklin and the company becoming estranged as a result. Franklin turned down a number of tracks giving to her by Marvin Yancy and Chuck Jackson (though eventually they would contribute to her failed 1975 album, You). Several of the songs including "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" were later recorded by Natalie Cole. After the arrivals of Cole, Chaka Khan, and Donna Summer Franklin's star ebbed.^{[citation needed]}

She briefly returned to the top 40 in 1976 with the Curtis Mayfield production, Sparkle, which spawned the number-one R&B hit, "Giving Him Something He Can Feel". Despite this, Franklin struggled to find success with subsequent releases. After the release of 1979's La Diva, an attempt for Franklin to find a disco audience that flopped, selling less than 50,000 copies, Franklin's contract with Atlantic expired. Neither Atlantic nor Aretha had any interest in renewing it. While she was performing in Las Vegas on June 10, 1979, Franklin's father, C.L., was shot during what was said to be an attempted robbery at his LaSalle Street home in Detroit. The incident left C.L. in a coma for the next five years. Aretha moved back to the Detroit area in late 1982 from Los Angeles (where she had lived since 1976) to help care for her father.

Comeback: 1980–1989

In 1980, Franklin, among other prominent rhythm and blues and soul artists including Ray Charles and James Brown, appeared in the film The Blues Brothers. Franklin appeared as the wife of musician Matt "Guitar" Murphy, who engages in a brief war of words with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi before going into "Think". Following that performance, Clive Davis signed Franklin to his Arista Records imprint. The singles "United Together" and the George Benson-featured "Love All the Hurt Away" returned Franklin to the R&B top ten while 1982's Jump to It, featuring a contemporary R&B production style by Luther Vandross, became a comeback of sorts for Franklin on the pop music chart. The album stayed at No. 1 on the R&B Albums chart for seven weeks and crossed to No. 23 on the Billboard 200 album chart, eventually selling close to 600,000 units and becoming Aretha's first gold-certified album since the Sparkle soundtrack in 1976. The title track became Franklin's first number-one R&B hit in five years while also hitting No. 24 on the Hot 100. After the relative failure of her 1983 follow-up, Get It Right, also produced by Vandross, Franklin took some personal time off. Following the July 1984 death of her father, she entered the United Sound Studios in Detroit to record a new album for Arista in October of that year. Inspired by the recent success of fellow artist Tina Turner and Arista's emerging star Whitney Houston, Arista paired Franklin with Narada Michael Walden.^{[citation needed]}

The album released in July 1985, Who's Zoomin' Who?, featured R&B, pop, dance, synthpop and rock elements and became Franklin's first platinum-certified success. The album launched several major hits including the title track and the Motown-inspired "Freeway of Love". The rock-influenced Annie Lennox duet, "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" also became a hit for Franklin on the pop charts though it failed to climb higher than No.66 on the R&B chart due to its more pop rock-leaning sound. Music Videos for each of the singles became prominent fixtures on MTV, BET and VH-1 among other video channels. In 1986, Franklin released her self-titled follow-up to Who's Zoomin' Who. The album sold almost a million copies, and featured the number-one hit, "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me", a duet with George Michael. In April 1987, the song became Franklin's first single since "Respect" to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100.^{[citation needed]}

Other hits from the album included a cover of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and another Motown-inspired hit, "Jimmy Lee". In 1987 she returned to her gospel roots with the album, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, which failed to repeat the success of Amazing Grace despite a powerful rendition of "Oh Happy Day", featuring Mavis Staples, but did reach the Top 10 of Billboard's gospel chart. In 1986, she sang the theme song ("Together") for the ABC television network.^{[citation needed]}

Later work: 1989–2003

In 1989, Franklin returned with her first pop album in three years with Through the Storm but despite scoring a Top 20 hit with the title track featuring Elton John and the presence of Whitney Houston in their duet single, "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Ever Gonna Be", the album tanked, as did a follow-up, 1991's new jack swing effort, What You See Is What You Sweat. After singing Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free" on the Malcolm X soundtrack in 1992 and singing at US President Bill Clinton's inauguration ceremony in 1993, Franklin returned to favor with pop audiences later in 1993 with the release of the dance single "Deeper Love", which was featured on the soundtrack of Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. The following year, Franklin issued her Arista hits album and with Babyface released two singles, "Honey" and the top-40^{[citation needed]} pop ballad "Willing to Forgive". In 1995, her song "It Hurts Like Hell" appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Waiting to Exhale. Four years passed until Franklin released another album. 1998's A Rose Is Still a Rose featured elements of neo soul^{[citation needed]} and hip hop soul^{[citation needed]} with production from Lauryn Hill, Jermaine Dupri and Sean "Puffy" Combs. The title track, written and produced by Hill, became Franklin's biggest hit in years, reaching number 26 on the Hot 100^{[citation needed]} and reaching the R&B top five.^{[citation needed]}

She later reprised her role as Matt "Guitar" Murphy's wife in the Blues Brothers remake, Blues Brothers 2000 singing "Respect". She struggled to record a successful follow-up, however, and it would be five more years before a new album emerged. Franklin issued her next album, So Damn Happy, in 2003. The album was a critical^{[citation needed]} and commercial failure, selling just over 100,000 copies.^{[citation needed]}

2004–present

Franklin performing on April 21, 2007 at the Nokia Theater in Dallas, Texas

In 2003, after 23 years with Arista, Franklin parted with the company and decided to go on the independent route, forming Aretha's Records two years later. Franklin released a duets compilation album, Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen, in 2007. The album featured the Fantasia duet, "Put You Up on Game", which despite becoming a modest hit on Urban AC radio, stalled at No. 41 on the R&B charts. A year later, Franklin issued her first holiday album, This Christmas, Aretha. After initially being released as a Borders exclusive, it was later released by the DMI label.

In 2008, Franklin was honored as MusiCares "Person of the Year", two days prior to the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, where she was awarded her 18th career Grammy. Franklin was personally asked by then newly-elected President Barack Obama to perform at his inauguration singing "My Country 'tis of Thee". In 2010, Franklin received an honorary music degree from Yale University.^[6]

In 2010 and through early 2011, Franklin had told the media she had selected actress Halle Berry to play her in the featured role of the legendary singer in a biopic loosely based on Franklin's memoirs, Aretha: From These Roots. In January 2011, Berry turned down the role. Franklin said she's now setting her sights on singers Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson on getting the lucrative role.

Marking her 50th anniversary in show business, Franklin released her thirty-eighth studio album, A Woman Falling Out Of Love, on May 3, 2011, through WalMart. It is the first release off Franklin's own record label, Aretha's Records, a label she formed back in the 1990s. However, Aretha's new disc peaked at #54 on Billboard's album chart, dropping off after only two weeks. She co-produced some of the new tracks. Ronald Isley was featured in the album doing the Barbra Streisand standard, "The Way We Were", as he and Franklin covered the Carole King classic, "You've Got a Friend", first issued on Isley's Mr. I album.

Following her exit from the stage in November 2010 and her surgery the following month, Franklin has recently returned to the stage, rescheduling dates she was forced to cancel due to recent health problems.

In September 2011, Tony Bennett released a duet with Aretha entitled "How Do You Keep The Music Playing" from his new album, Duets II (Tony Bennett album).

Personal life

In March 1956, three days after her 14th birthday, Franklin gave birth to her eldest child, a son she named Clarence (for her father). In January 1957 she gave birth to another son, Edward.^[7] She never identified by name the father of either child. Her grandmother, Rachel, raised the boys while Aretha pursued her singing career. Rachel lived in a guest house behind C.L. Franklin's LaSalle Street home. (The Franklin family moved from their home on Boston Street in Detroit's North End section to LaSalle Street during the late 1950s.)

Against her father's wishes Aretha began dating a family acquaintance named Ted White. In 1961 they were quickly married in Ohio by a judge. White became her personal manager as well as co-writer. Shortly afterward, she purchased a house on Sorrento Avenue in northwest Detroit, where she resided for the next decade. She and White divorced in 1969. Their son Teddy (Ted White Jr.), born in 1964, is the musical director and guitarist of her touring band.^{[citation needed]}

From 1969 until 1976, she had a seven-year relationship with her road manager Ken Cunningham. (Although she and White did not divorce until late 1969, Aretha conceived her fourth child in June of that year.) In the early 1970s the couple moved from Detroit to New York City, at which time Aretha's grandmother moved into her Sorrento Avenue home. Their son Kecalf (from the initials of his parents' names: Kenneth E Cunningham Aretha Louise Franklin and pronounced "kelf")^[8] was born on March 28, 1970 at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital.

On April 11, 1978, Aretha Franklin married actor Glynn Turman at her father's New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit. Franklin's father performed the marriage ceremony. The couple returned to their home in Encino, California. In late 1982, Franklin moved back to Detroit, and in 1985 she purchased a home in Bloomfield Hills, where she still resides. Turman and Franklin divorced in early 1984. The couple did not have children. They remained friends, and she sang the theme song for his show, A Different World, in the late 1980s.

Aretha Franklin and William Wilkerson watching Roger Federer at the 2011 US Open

Franklin's sisters Erma and Carolyn are both deceased, as is her brother Cecil. As of January 2012, her half-brother Vaughn (born 1934) is alive as is her half-sister, Carl Ellan Kelley (née Jennings; born 1940). Kelley is C.L. Franklin's daughter by Mildred Jennings, a then 13-year-old congregant of New Salem Baptist Church of Memphis, Tennessee, where C.L. was pastor in the late 1930s and early 1940s.^[9] Franlin's sons, Ted White Jr.^{[citation needed]} ("Teddy") and Kecalf Cunningham,^{[citation needed]} are active in the music business. White has been a guitarist in Aretha's backup band since the late 1980s,^{[citation needed]} while Cunningham works as a Christian hip-hop rapper and producer.^{[citation needed]}

Aretha Franklin is a registered Democrat.^[10]

In September 2010, her son Edward was attacked and severely beaten by three people while at a gas station on Plymouth Road, near Evergreen, in northwest Detroit.^[11]

Franklin's long friendship with Cissy Houston during Houston's time with The Sweet Inspirations led to Franklin becoming Whitney Houston's godmother. Cissy Houston sang the operatic soprano whoop in the background of Franklin's "Ain't No Way".^{[citation needed]}

On January 1, 2012, Franklin announced that she and William Wilkerson were engaged.^[12] Franklin revealed that they were planning to exchange nuptials at a ceremony on a private yacht in Miami, Florida in June of 2012.^[13]

On January 23, 2012, Franklin announced via Facebook that she and Wilkerson will not marry at the present time. Wilkerson has since moved out of Aretha's house in West Bloomfield and returned to his government-subsidised Detroit apartment. ^[14]

2010 surgery and rumors of cancer

In 2010, Franklin suffered a pain in her side which she said, "was so hard it almost brought me to my knees." After continuing a concert tour, the pain recurred, and she subsequently underwent surgery for an undisclosed ailment. At this time, rumors surfaced that she was suffering from pancreatic cancer. In discussing the events in 2011, she has said that this was not the case and that her doctor told her, "the surgery that you just had is going to add 15 to 20 more years to your life."^[15]

Connection to the Civil Rights Movement

Franklin’s music and civil rights involvement cannot be separated for it was through music, which Franklin was able to reach out to so many and empower those who had felt so long oppressed.

Aretha Franklin first became connected with the civil rights movement through her father, Reverend C.L. Franklin. Rev. Franklin was an influential preacher who traveled the country as well as recorded a weekly sermon for the radio station, WLAC, which reached sixty-five percent of the African-American population. It was these same tours that Aretha would begin her singing career.^[16] Rev. Franklin would also introduce Aretha to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. starting a life long friendship between the two.

It was Franklin's soulful sound, which would become the driving anthem of the civil rights movement or as poet Nikki Giovanni put it “the voice of the civil rights movement, the voice of the black America”.^[17]

Through Franklin’s album ‘I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You’, hit ‘Respect’ rose to the top. Her strong voice asking for something as simple as respect reflects the cries of the civil rights movement. Her lyrics mirror that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. Most notably the lines “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children”.^[18] While the civil rights movement was already in motion before Franklin became a prominent figure she had now lent it a soundtrack.

Franklin did not have to do much to help propel the civil rights movement. “Her own sense of pride and her dignified stance, she represented the new black woman of the late 1960s”.^[8] Franklin’s own sound and present were enough to reflect the ideas of the movement and were what caused her to become a notable figure in the cause.

Franklin was not actively heading demonstrations or participating in sit-ins, but she was able to do her part and use her talent to help the movement. She would numerous times perform at rallies with the King, lending her voice and fame to pull in crowds.

Awards and achievements

Aretha Franklin wipes a tear after being honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 9, 2005, at the White House. Seated with her are fellow recipients Robert Conquest, left, and Alan Greenspan

On June 28, 1968 she became the second African-American woman to appear on the cover of TIME magazine.^[19]
On August 1, 1968, she sang the National Anthem at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, IL.
In 1985, then-Gov. James Blanchard of Michigan declared her voice “a natural resource” during a ceremony that marked her 25 years in show business.
Aretha Franklin is one of three musicians, along with Madonna & Marvin Gaye, to have singles peak at each of the top 10 positions on the US Billboard Hot 100.
On January 20, 1987, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[20]
On March 29, 1987, Franklin sang "America the Beautiful" at WrestleMania III.
In September 1999, she was awarded The National Medal of Arts by President Clinton.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked her ninth on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.^[21]
In 2005, she was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.
In 2005, she became the second woman (Madonna being the first) to be inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame.
In 2005, Franklin was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
On February 6, 2006, she performed, along with Aaron Neville, "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XL.
On May 13, 2006, she was presented with an honorary Doctor of Music degree by the Berklee College of Music.
On April 1, 2007 Aretha sang "America the Beautiful" at WrestleMania 23.
On May 14, 2007, she was presented with an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2007, Aretha Franklin's recording of "Respect" was voted a Legendary Michigan Song.
Is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority
On February 8, 2008, Franklin was honored as MusiCares "Person of the Year".
On February 14, 2008, Franklin was given the Vanguard award at the NAACP Image awards.
On May 4, 2008, Franklin was given the Key to the City of Memphis at the 2008 "Memphis in May International Music Festival" by Mayor Dr. Willie Herenton during her performance onstage.
On September 13, 2008, Franklin was ranked No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists list by Billboard.^[22]
November 2008, Franklin was named by Rolling Stone as the No. 1 all-time best singer of the rock era, according to the magazine's survey of 179 musicians, producers, Rolling Stone editors, and other music industry insiders.^[23]
On January 20, 2009, Franklin performed "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" during the inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama.
On May 23, 2010, Franklin received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Yale University.^[24]
On June 1, 2010, Aretha Franklin's recording of "Chain Of Fools" was voted a Legendary Michigan Song.^[25]
On February 13, 2011, the Grammy Awards paid tribute to Franklin with a medley of her classics by fellow singers Christina Aguilera, Florence Welch, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride and Yolanda Adams^[26]
On October 16, 2011, Franklin sang "Precious Lord (Take My Hand)" for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s memorial dedication ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Grammy Awards

Franklin has won 18^[27] performance Grammy Awards,^[28] and two honorary Grammys: the Grammy Legend Award (1991) and the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award (1994).^[29]

She holds the record^{[citation needed]} for most Best Female R&B Vocal Performance awards, with eleven to her name (including eight consecutive awards from 1968 to 1975 – the first eight awarded in that category).

Aretha Franklin's 18 Grammy Award Wins
#	Year	Category	Genre	Title
1	1968	Best Rhythm & Blues Recording	R&B	Respect
2	1968	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Respect
3	1969	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Chain Of Fools
4	1970	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Share Your Love With Me
5	1971	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Don't Play That Song For Me
6	1972	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Bridge Over Troubled Water
7	1973	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Young, Gifted and Black (album)
8	1973	Best Soul Gospel Performance	Gospel	Amazing Grace (album)
9	1974	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Master Of Eyes
10	1975	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing
11	1982	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Hold On...I'm Comin' (album track)
12	1986	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Freeway Of Love
13	1988	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Aretha (album)
14	1988	Best R&B Performance – Duo Or Group with Vocals	R&B	I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (with George Michael)
15	1989	Best Soul Gospel Performance – Female	Gospel	One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism (album)
*	1991	Living Legend Award	Special
*	1994	Lifetime Achievement Award	Special
16	2004	Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	Wonderful
17	2006	Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance	R&B	A House Is Not A Home
18	2008	Best Gospel-Soul Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group	Gospel	Never Gonna Break My Faith (with Mary J. Blige)

Discography

Further information: Aretha Franklin discography

Top 10 US Hot 100 singles

Year	Title	Peak
1967	"I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)"	9
1967	"Respect"	1
1967	"Baby I Love You"	4
1967	"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"	8
1967	"Chain of Fools"	2
1968	"(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone"	5
1968	"Think"	7
1968	"The House That Jack Built"	6
1968	"I Say a Little Prayer"	10
1971	"Bridge Over Troubled Water" / "Brand New Me"	6
1971	"Spanish Harlem"	2
1971	"Rock Steady"	9
1972	"Day Dreaming"	5
1973	"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"	3
1985	"Freeway of Love"	3
1985	"Who's Zoomin' Who"	7
1987	"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (with George Michael)	1

Source:^[30]

All no. 1 hits in US R&B 100 singles

Year	Title
1967	"I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)"
1967	"Respect"
1967	"Baby I Love You"
1967	"Chain of Fools"
1968	"(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone"
1968	"Think"
1969	"Share Your Love with Me"
1970	"Call Me"
1970	"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)"
1971	"Bridge Over Troubled Water" / "Brand New Me"
1971	"Spanish Harlem"
1972	"Day Dreaming"
1973	"Angel"
1973	"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"
1974	"I'm in Love"
1976	"Something He Can Feel"
1977	"Break It to Me Gently"
1982	"Jump to It"
1983	"Get It Right"
1985	"Freeway of Love"

Source:^[30]

Filmography

Movies / Concerts / Documentaries

The Blues Brothers (1980)
Motown 40: The Music Is Forever (1998) (ABC-TV documentary)
Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
DIVAS LIVE (1998)
Immaculate Funk (2000) (documentary)
Rhythm, Love and Soul (2002)
Tom Dowd & the Language of Music (2003) (documentary)
Singing in the Shadow: The Children of Rock Royalty (2003) (documentary)
From The Heart / The Four Tops 50th Anniversary and Celebration (2004)
Atlantic Records: The House that Ahmet Built (2007) (documentary)

Television

The Tonight Show / Johnny Carson
The Mike Douglas Show
In 1972, she had a role in the TV show Room 222
Solid Gold (numerous appearances with the last in 1982 performing "Jump To It")
Kelly & Company (Marilyn Turner and John Kelly, Detroit)
Dayna (Dayna Eubanks, fomer Detroit newscaster)
Rolonda Show (Rolonda Watts)
The Oprah Winfrey Show (numerous appearances including Oprah's 40th birthday, with Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight)
Live with Regis and Kelly (numerous appearances)
The View

References

^ "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone (1066): 73. November 27, 2008. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/6027/32782/32784. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
^ "Sister Ree's Scrapbook, An Aretha Franklin Photo Gallery 13". http://www.morethings.com/music/aretha_franklin/photo_gallery13.htm. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 52 - The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 8] : UNT Digital Library" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu. http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19834/m1.
^ Natalie Cole broke Franklin's "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" winning streak with her 1975 single "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" (which, ironically, was originally offered to Franklin).
^ "Aretha Franklin songs". http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/aretha-franklin/songs. – from the Bill Graham archives; requires free login.
^ Rosenthal, Lauren (May 24, 2010). "Univ. confers 3,243 degrees at 309th Commencement". Yale Daily News. http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2010/may/24/univ-confers-3243-degrees-at-309th-commencement. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
^ Nick Salvatore (2005). Singing in a Strange Land: C.L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America. Little Brown. pp. 203–204, 224. ISBN 0-316-16037-7. OCLC 56104283. http://books.google.com/books?id=bRDAQSK9DlkC&pg=PA203.
^ ^a ^b Bego, Mark (1989). Aretha Franklin: The Queen Of Soul. New York: St.Martin's Press. p. page #s?. ISBN 0-306-8093-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=ErKigdCXUwoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Bego,+Mark.+Aretha+Franklin:+the+queen+of+soul&hl=en&ei=s3nhToWzL-je2QXPqYjMBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Bego%2C%20Mark.%20Aretha%20Franklin%3A%20the%20queen%20of%20soul&f=false.
^ Salvatore, Nick, Singing in a Strange Land: C. L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America, Little Brown, 2005, Hardcover ISBN 0-316-16037-7, pp. 61–62
^ On an ABC promo aired on July 27, 2010 announcing Franklin and Rice's apperaring together in concert there was a segment in which Franklin was being interviewed and she said herself, "I am a Democrat".
^ "Aretha Franklin's son has been released from hospital after being beaten in Detroit". Action News. 21 September 2010. http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/homepage_showcase/aretha-franklin%27s-son-severely-beaten-in-detroit.
^ "Soul singer Aretha Franklin is engaged - CNN.com". CNN. January 2, 2012. http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/02/showbiz/aretha-franklin-engaged/?hpt=hp_c2.
^ http://blog.chron.com/celebritybuzz/2012/01/aretha-franklin-to-get-married-this-summer/
^ http://www.facebook.com/#!/arethafranklin
^ "Aretha Franklin Sets The Record Straight On Her Health". Access Hollywood. January 13, 2011. http://www.accesshollywood.com/aretha-franklin-sets-the-record-straight-on-her-health-i-dont-know-where-pancreatic-cancer-came-from_article_42228.
^ Carroll, Jillian (2004). Aretha Franklin. Chicago: Raintree. ISBN 0-7398-7029-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=7nhDFoq_iQEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Carroll,+Jillian.+Aretha+Franklin.&hl=en&ei=xXbhTui5Ks-msQLMyt32BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Carroll%2C%20Jillian.%20Aretha%20Franklin.&f=false.
^ Dobkin, Matt (2006). I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You: Aretha Franklin, Respect, and the Making Of A Soul Music Masterpiece. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-31828-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=lHJC0ne4zbAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=I+Never+Loved+A+Man+The+Way+I+Love+You:+Aretha+Franklin,+Respect,+and+the+Making+Of+A+Soul+Music+Masterpiece&hl=en&ei=03jhTtbkCeK3sQKRvKGLBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=I%20Never%20Loved%20A%20Man%20The%20Way%20I%20Love%20You%3A%20Aretha%20Franklin%2C%20Respect%2C%20and%20the%20Making%20Of%20A%20Soul%20Music%20Masterpiece&f=false.
^ Luther King, Jr., Martin. "I Have A Dream". I Have A Dream. http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/3504.html. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
^ "TIME Magazine Cover: Aretha Franklin". Time. June 28, 1968. http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19680628,00.html. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
^ "Aretha Franklin Biography". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. undated. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. http://rockhall.com/inductees/aretha-franklin/bio/.
^ "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty.
^ The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists. Billboard.com. Retrieved on July 8, 2011.
^ Aretha Franklin greatest singer in rock era: poll. Music.yahoo.com (2008-11-11). Retrieved on July 8, 2011.
^ Franklin receives honorary doctorate from Yale. Newsone.com (2010-05-24). Retrieved on July 8, 2011.
^ www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com
^ Grammay Awards tribute to Aretha Franklin
^ According to NARAS rules,^[where?] Special Grammy Awards (such as Lifetime Achievement) are not counted in a performer's tally.
^ "Past Winners Search: Aretha Franklin". Grammy.com. http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=Aretha+Franklin&title=&year=All&genre=All. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
^ Nechvatal, Zack (February 10, 2011). "Grammy Awards To Honor Aretha Franklin". Chicago, Illinois: WXRT/CBS Radio. Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. http://wxrt.radio.com/2011/02/10/grammy-awards-to-honor-aretha-franklin/. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Aretha Franklin: Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090503075231/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/arethafranklin/biography. Retrieved March 21, 2010.

External links

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Aretha Franklin at Legacy Recordings
Appearances on C-SPAN
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Aretha Franklin collected news and commentary at The New York Times
Aretha Franklin collected news and commentary at The Guardian
Works by or about Aretha Franklin in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
Aretha Franklin at Answers.com
Aretha Franklin discography at Discogs

Aretha Franklin

Studio albums

Columbia	Songs of Faith (1956) Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo (1961) The Electrifying Aretha Franklin (1962) The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin (1962) Laughing on the Outside (1963) Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington (1964) Runnin' Out of Fools (1964) Soul Sister (1966) Take It Like You Give It (1967) Take a Look (1967)

Atlantic	I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967) Aretha Arrives (1967) Lady Soul (1968) Aretha Now (1968) Soul '69 (1969) Soft and Beautiful (1969) This Girl's in Love with You (1970) Spirit in the Dark (1970) Young, Gifted and Black (1972) Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) (1973) Let Me in Your Life (1974) With Everything I Feel in Me (1974) You (1975) Sparkle (1976) Sweet Passion (1977) Almighty Fire (1978) · La Diva (1979)

Arista	Aretha (1980) Love All the Hurt Away (1981) Jump to It (1982) Get It Right (1983) Who's Zoomin' Who? (1985) Aretha (1986) Through the Storm (1989) What You See Is What You Sweat (1991) A Rose Is Still a Rose (1998) So Damn Happy (2003)

Other	This Christmas, Aretha (2008) A Woman Falling Out of Love (2011)

Live albums

Yeah!!! In Person with Her Quartet (1965) · Aretha in Paris (1968) · Aretha Live at Fillmore West (1971) · Amazing Grace (1972) · One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism (1987) · Oh Me Oh My: Aretha Live in Philly, 1972 (2007)

Compilation albums

Aretha's Gold (1969) · Aretha's Greatest Hits (1971) · The Best of Aretha Franklin (1973) · Aretha Sings the Blues (1980) · Greatest Hits (1980–1994) (1994) · Greatest Hits (1998) · Aretha's Best (2001) · Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul (2007) · Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen (2007) · A Deeper Love: The Best of Aretha Franklin (2009) · The Great American Songbook (2011) · Knew You Were Waiting: The Best of Aretha Franklin (1980-1998) (2012)

Box sets

Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings (1992) · Take A Look: Aretha Franklin Complete on Columbia (2011)

Singles

"Precious Lord (Part 1)" (1959) · "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" (1961) · "I Surrender, Dear" (1962) · "Try a Little Tenderness" (1962) · "Say It Isn't So" (1963) · "Skylark" (1963) · "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" (1964) · "One Step Ahead" (1965) · "You Made Me Love You" (1965) · "Mockingbird" (1967) · "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" (1967) · "Respect" (1967) · "Baby I Love You" (1967) · "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (1967) · "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" · "Chain of Fools" (1967) · "Satisfaction" (1968) · "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" (1968) · "Think" (1968) · "You Send Me" (1968) · "I Say a Little Prayer" (1968) · "The Weight" (1969) · "Tracks of My Tears" (1969) · "Gentle on My Mind" (1969) · "Share Your Love with Me" (1969) · "Eleanor Rigby" (1969) · "Call Me" (1970) · "Son of a Preacher Man" (1970) · "The Thrill Is Gone" (1970) · "Don't Play That Song" (1970) · "You're All I Need to Get By" (1971) · "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1971) · "Spanish Harlem" (1971) · "Rock Steady" (1971) · "Day Dreaming" (1972) · "Wholy Holy" (1972) · "Angel" (1973) · "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" (1973) · "I'm in Love" (1974) · "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (1974) · "Something He Can Feel" (1976) · "Break It to Me Gently" (1977) · "What a Fool Believes" (1981) · "It's My Turn" (1981) · "Jump to It" (1982) · "Get It Right" (1983) · Freeway of Love" (1985) · "Who's Zoomin' Who" (1985) · "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (1985) · "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1986) · "Jimmy Lee" (1986) · "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987) · "Oh Happy Day" (1988) · "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be" (1989) · "Everyday People" (1991) · "Someday We'll All Be Free" (1992) · "A Deeper Love" (1993) · "Willing to Forgive" (1994) · "A Rose Is Still a Rose" (1998) · "Wonderful" (2003) · "Put You Up on Game" (2007)

Record labels

Columbia · Atlantic · Arista

Persondata
Name	Franklin, Aretha Louise
Alternative names
Short description	American singer
Date of birth	March 25, 1942
Place of birth	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death

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		Gale Musician Profiles. Contemporary Musicians © 1989-2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
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