Aretha Louise FranklinĀ (March 25, 1942Ā ā August 16, 2018)
Growing up in Detroit, Michigan in the 1960’s, every day on my radio I jammed to the greatest music of all time; Motown, Sam Cooke, the Godfather of Soul James Brown, and, the incomparable Aretha Franklin. She sang from the very depths of her soul becoming an icon and forever soundtrack of our lives.
ArethaĀ began her career as a child singingĀ gospelĀ atĀ New Bethel Baptist ChurchĀ in Detroit, where her father,Ā C. L. Franklin, was the minister. In 1960, at the age of 18, she embarked on aĀ secular career, recording forĀ Columbia Records.
After signing toĀ Atlantic RecordsĀ in 1967, Ms. Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as “Respect”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, “Spanish Harlem” and “Think”.Ā By the end of the 1960s, she was beingĀ calledĀ “the Queen of Soul“.
Recording 112 charted singles onĀ Billboard, including 77Ā Hot 100Ā entries, 17 top tenĀ pop singles, 100Ā R&B entriesĀ and 20 number-one R&B singles, Aretha became the most charted female artist in the chart’s history. She won 18 Grammy Awards and is one of theĀ best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold over 75Ā million records worldwide.
Aretha received numerous honors throughout her career including a 1987Ā inductionĀ into theĀ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in which she became the first female performer to be inducted. She was inducted to theĀ UK Music Hall of FameĀ in 2005.
In August 2012, Aretha was inducted into theĀ GMAĀ Gospel Music Hall of Fame andĀ listed in at least two all-time lists onĀ Rolling StoneĀ magazine, including theĀ 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Today we both mourn and celebrate the life of a musical pioneer, Civil Rights Activist, and without dispute the reigning Queen of Soul.
Let’s take a look back at her remarkable career and journey through the soul-stirring music of Ms. Aretha “Queen of Soul” Franklin.
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