Aretha Franklin | Artist
Aretha Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, civil rights activist, actress, and pianist born 1942 in Memphis Tennessee. She was one of the giants of soul music and American pop as a whole. Franklin epitomized soul at its most gospel-charged, and her run of early hits with Atlantic Records, including "Respect", "I Never Loved a Man", "Chain of Fools", "Baby I Love You", "I Say a Little Prayer", "Think", and "The House That Jack Built", earned her the title Queen of Soul. She enjoyed continued success through the 70's and 80's scoring hits on the R&B charts and through collaborations with Curtis Mayfield and Luther Vandross. Franklin made a triumphant return to pop with 1985's Who's Zoomin' Who? and its Top Ten single "Freeway of Love," which was followed in 1987 by the George Michael duet "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", which became her first number one hit on the Billboard charts since "Respect" in 1967. Franklin spent the next three decades performing and recording regularly, maintaining her status as the Queen of Soul until her death in 2018. Franklin began her career early singing gospel in Detroit where her father was a minister. Her mother, who sang and played piano, died before Aretha's 10th birthday and several women, including gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, took turns helping with the children at home. During this time, Aretha learned how to play piano by ear. She also attended public school in Detroit, but dropped out during her second year. Her father began taking her on the road with him during his "gospel caravan" tours where she performed in various churches. He also helped her sign her first recording deal. As a young gospel singer Franklin spent summers on the gospel circuit in Chicago and stayed with Mavis Staples' family. At one stage she and her father traveled to California, where she met singer Sam Cooke. At the age of 16, Franklin went on tour with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and she would ultimately sing at his funeral in 1968. After turning 18, Franklin moved to New York with a dream to be a pop singer like Sam Cooke. There she was signed to major label Columbia Records, who in January 1961, issued her first album, Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo. The album featured "Won't Be Long", her first single to chart, peaking at #7. Franklin went on to release a total of 43 studio albums, 10 live albums, and countless Singles and EPs, over a recording career spanning four decades. Outstanding albums include I never Loved a Man The Way I Loved You (1967), Lady Soul (1968), Aretha Now (1968), Spirit in The Dark (1970), Young Gifted and Black (1972), and the live albums Aretha Live at Fillmore West (1972) and Amazing Grace (1972). Franklin is one of the best-selling music artists, with over 75 million records sold worldwide. Rolling Stone magazine twice named her as the greatest singer of all time. On January 20, 2009, Franklin made international headlines for performing "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" at President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony.
Artist Website: arethafranklin.net
Featured Albums: Aretha Franklin
Related Artists: Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke
Collections: Women of Note
