ARETHA FRANKLIN

Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as "The Queen of Soul". Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, R&B and gospel. She is widely acclaimed for her passionate vocal style and powerful range. In 2008, the American music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Franklin #1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time.

Franklin is one of the most honored artists by the Grammy Awards, with 18 wins to date, as well as the Living Legend Grammy and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy. She also sang at the presidential inauguration of 44th President of the United States Barack Obama. She has scored a total of 20 #1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, two of which also became #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, Franklin has scored a total of 45 "Top 40" hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Biography

Early life and career

Franklin was born on March 25,1942, in Memphis, Tennessee to the Rev. C. L. Franklin, a Baptist minister, and Barbara Siggers Franklin. Aretha's parents had a troubled relationship and separated when Aretha was six. Siggers died of a heart attack when Franklin was ten. The fourth of five siblings, Aretha's father's first pulpit after Memphis was in Buffalo, New York. The family subsequently moved to Detroit, Michigan where they grew up, Rev. Franklin assumed the pulpit of the New Bethel Baptist Church, and gained national fame as a preacher. Adept at the piano as well as having a gifted voice, Franklin became a child prodigy. By the age of fourteen, she signed a record deal with Battle Records, where her father recorded his sermons and gospel vocal recordings, and she issued Songs of Faith in 1956. Her earlier influences included Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson, both of whom spent a lot of time in Aretha's home.

Teenage pregnancies derailed Franklin's gospel career when she gave birth to Clarence in 1955 (at age 13) and Edward in 1957 (at age 15). When she returned to singing, Aretha decided to secure herself a deal as a pop artist. After being offered contracts from Motown and RCA, Franklin signed with Columbia Records in 1960. Her recordings during that time reflected a jazz influence and moved away from her gospel roots. Franklin initially scored a few hits on Columbia including her version of "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby (With A Dixie Melody)", which peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in 1961, and the Top 10 R&B hits, "Today I Sing The Blues", "Won't Be Long" and "Operation Heartbreak". However, by the end of 1966, with little commercial success in six years with Columbia and desperate for a sound of her own, she accepted an offer to sign with Atlantic Records. According to Franklin years later, "they made me sit down on the piano and the hits came".

"Queen of Soul"

In 1967 Franklin issued her first Atlantic single, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", a blues ballad that introduced listeners to her gospel style. Produced by Jerry Wexler, the song became Franklin's breakthrough single reaching the Top 10 on the Hot 100, and holding the #1 spot for 7 weeks on Billboard's R&B Singles chart. The B-side, "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man", charted on the R&B side, and introduced a more gospel element to Franklin's developing sound.

Her next single, "Respect", written and originally recorded by Otis Redding, firmly launched Franklin on the road to superstardom. Franklin's feminist version of the song became her signature tune for life, reaching #1 on both the R&B and the Pop charts—holding the top spot on the former chart for a record 8 weeks—and helping her Atlantic debut album, I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You, reach million-seller status. In the next ten months, Franklin released a number of top ten hits including "Baby I Love You", "Chain of Fools" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman".

In early 1968 Franklin won her first two Grammies (for "Respect"), including the first Grammy awarded in the "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" category. She went on to win eight "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" awards in a row. Over the next seven years, Franklin continued to score hit singles including "Think", "The House That Jack Built", "I Say a Little Prayer" (a cover of Dionne Warwick's hit), "Call Me" and "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)". "Spanish Harlem" reached #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 and even gave Aretha her first Top 10 Adult Contemporary (at the time labeled Easy Listening) hit.

By the end of the 1960s, Franklin's position as The Queen of Soul was firmly established. Her albums were also hot sellers; one in particular, 1972's Amazing Grace, eventually sold over two million US copies, becoming "the best-selling gospel album of all time". Franklin's hit streak continued into the mid-1970s. 1973's emotional plea "Angel", produced by Quincy Jones and written by Franklin's sister Carolyn, was a stand-out single that became yet another #1 on the R&B chart, although the subsequent album Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) was not successful.

1974's gold-certified single "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" hit #1 R&B and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. By 1975, however, with the expanding exposure of Disco and the popularity of fellow Atlantic artist Roberta Flack, relations between Franklin and Atlantic Records were starting to strain. As a result, Aretha was recording poor material such as 1975's listless You album, and her record sales declined dramatically. Franklin had peaked, and the music industry was moving on to younger black female singers such as Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan and Donna Summer.

Decline and tragedy

In 1976, Franklin's Curtis Mayfield-produced soundtrack of the film, Sparkle, brought Franklin another hit. It was her first album to reach gold status since the landmark Amazing Grace. The suggestive "(Giving Him) Something He Can Feel" became a number-one R&B smash and reached #28 on the Pop side. However, it was Aretha's only Pop Top 40 appearance during the second half of the 1970s. Her later period Atlantic albums including Sweet Passion, Almighty Fire and La Diva were critical as well as sales failures and to top it off Franklin owed major debts to the IRS for failure to pay back taxes. Her recording contract with Atlantic ran out at the end of 1979, and neither Aretha nor the company had any desire to renew it. On June 10, 1979, Franklin's father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, was seriously wounded during what was said to be an attempted robbery at his Linwood Avenue home in Detroit, leaving him in a comatose state in which he remained until his death in the summer of 1984.

Return to prominence

In 1980, Franklin's career was given a much-needed boost by a cameo performance as Mrs. Matt Murphy in The Blues Brothers, singing Think. That same year, Clive Davis signed Aretha to his Arista Records. The singles "United Together" and "Love All The Hurt Away"—a duet with George Benson—returned her to the Top 10 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. But it was the spectacular 1982 album, Jump To It, produced by longtime admirer Luther Vandross, and the title-track single that gave Aretha her first R&B chart-topping and pop success since "(Giving Him) Something He Can Feel". The album enjoyed a long run at #1 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart (even the Zoomin' album only reached #3). It won an American Music Award, was nominated for a Grammy and was certified gold in early 1983 - Aretha's first gold disc since the 1976 Sparkle album.

The following year Franklin and Vandross collaborated again on the disappointing Get It Right. But in 1985, Franklin's sound was commercialized into a glossy pop sound as she experienced her first-ever Platinum-certified album, Who's Zoomin' Who?. Yielding smash hits like the Motown-influenced "Freeway of Love" (#3 Pop/#1 R&B), the title track (#7 Pop/#2 R&B), and her duet with rock duo Eurythmics, "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves" (#18 Pop/#66 R&B), the album became the first Platinum certification of Aretha's entire career, introducing her sound to a younger generation of fans. In 1986, Franklin did nearly as well with an album simply titled Aretha, which yielded her first number-one pop single in two decades with the George Michael duet, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". The album is noteworthy for the striking cover which was Andy Warhol's last work before his death. Other hits included her cover of The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and the girl group-inspired "Jimmy Lee". When Aretha was taken out of print, it had sold over 900,000 US copies.

Aretha returned to gospel in 1987 with her album One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism which was recorded live at her New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit. However, the disc was a far cry from her 1972 effort Amazing Grace and had middling sales. Follow-ups such as 1989's Through The Storm and 1991's What You See Is What You Sweat sold poorly and failed to produce any major mainstream hits—other than the former album's Elton John-featured title track—but her career got a slight boost in 1993 when she scored a dance-club hit with "Deeper Love" from the Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit soundtrack. In 1994, she scored another hit with the Babyface-produced ballad, "Willing To Forgive", which hit the Top 5 of Billboard's R&B chart and #26 on the Hot 100.

Franklin returned to prominence with her 1998 album, A Rose Is Still A Rose. The album's mixture of urban contemporary, hip-hop soul and soul was a departure from Franklin's previous material. The title track, produced by Lauryn Hill, gave her a smash hit on the R&B and Pop charts and earned a gold single while the album was certified gold also, the first time since 1986's Aretha that any of the singer's albums went gold. That same year, with less than twenty-four hours to prepare, Franklin stepped in for Luciano Pavarotti to sing "Nessun Dorma" at the 1998 Grammy Awards. (Pavarotti, who was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award that night, was too sick to attend.) She gave a soulful and highly improvised performance in the aria's original key, while firmly stamping out the year with a captivating performance during VH-1's "Divas Live" telecast.

Recent years

Following the success of A Rose Is Still A Rose, Franklin has continued recording if only sporadically. Her most recent full studio release was 2003's critical and commercial failure So Damn Happy, which included the Grammy-winning track "Wonderful". Shortly after its release, Franklin left Arista Records after twenty-three years with the company. She has since started her own label, Aretha Records, and plans to issue her long-delayed new album, A Woman Falling Out Of Love in 2009. She is also coaching young actors during auditions for a musical based on her autobiography, From These Roots.

In 1998, Franklin also took again her role of Mrs. Murphy in Blues Brothers 2000, this time singing her old hit "Respect". Like in the 1980 movie, she plays the possessive wife of the lead guitarist of the Blues Brothers Band, singing the song during a row with her husband about his joining his former band.

In 2007, Arista Records released a duets compilation album entitled, "Jewels In The Crown: All-Star Duets With The Queen." The disc features duets performed with Mariah Carey, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Richard Marx, Annie Lennox, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Frank Sinatra, George Michael, Christina Aguilera, George Benson, Fantasia, and Gloria Estefan. A duet with Faith Hill has been recorded but it's not on the album. The album includes two new recordings with Fantasia, on the lead single "Put You Up On Game" and John Legend. The lead single "Put You Up On Game" hit radio on October 1, 2007 and became the number one most added song on Urban AC radio the following week. The album also includes Aretha's historic rendition of "Nessun Dorma" from the 1998 Grammy telecast.

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. Post-Grammy's, Miss Franklin enterted into a feud with both Beyonce and Tina Turner. This was due to the fact that Beyonce introduced Turner as 'The Queen' prior to their show-stealing duet of Proud Mary.

Franklin sang at the inauguration concerts for Bill Clinton in 1993 and at the inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama in 2009.

Personal life

Twice divorced, Franklin is the mother of four grown sons. Two of them, Kecalf and Teddy, are active in the music business. Teddy is the musical director and guitarist of Franklin's touring band. From 1961 to 1969, Aretha was married to her manager and co-writer Ted White. In 1978 she married Cooley High actor Glynn Turman. She also had seven year relationship with Ken Cunningham (1969-1976), the father of her youngest son. While White had been a decade older than Aretha, Cunningham and Turman were both several years younger than Aretha. The marriage to Glynn lasted until late 1982 when Franklin and her family returned permanently to Detroit. She and Turman divorced in early 1984.

She is the godmother of Whitney Houston, who also grew up to be a R&B star, rising to fame in the mid-1980s, and subsequently struggling with cocaine addiction thereafter. A still image of Franklin was shown in the closing scene of Houston's 1985 video for the single How Will I Know.

Awards and achievements
 
Aretha Franklin wipes a tear after being honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 9, 2005, during ceremonies at the White House. Looking on are fellow recipients Robert Conquest, left, and Alan Greenspan.
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
On January 3, 1987, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In May 1987, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Musicology degree from the University of Detroit.
In September, 1999, she was awarded The National Medal of Arts by President Clinton.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked her #9 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[7] To give perspective to this honor, only the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Little Richard finished ahead of her on this list. Ray Charles finished at number ten, right behind Franklin.
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, a founding member) to be inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame.
On February 6, 2006, she performed, along with Aaron Neville, the Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl 40
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.
Is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
She is the youngest recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor.
First black woman to appear on the cover of Time magazine.
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 #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists list by Billboard Magazine.
November 2008, Franklin was named by The Rolling Stone magazine. as the #1 all time best singer of the rock era. She came in ahead of Ray Charles at No. 2, Elvis Presley at No. 3, Sam Cooke at No. 4 and John Lennon at No. 5, according to the magazine's survey of 179 musicians, producers, Rolling Stone editors, and other music-industry insiders.
On January 20, 2009, Franklin performed "My Country 'Tis of Thee" during the inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama.

Grammy Awards

Franklin has won twenty one (21) Grammy Awards in total during her nearly half-century long career (she first charted in 1961), and holds the record for most Best Female R&B Vocal Performance award with eleven to her name (including eight consecutive awards from 1968 to 1975 - the first eight awarded in that category).

Aretha Franklin's Grammy Award Wins

1. 1968 Best Rhythm And 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)
16. 1991 Living Legend Award Special 
17. 1994 Lifetime Achievement Award Special 
18. 2004 Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance R&B Wonderful
19. 2006 Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance R&B A House Is Not A Home
20. 2007 Golden Grammy Awards Special
21. 2008 Best Gospel-Soul Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group Gospel Never Gonna Break My Faith (with Mary J. Blige)

Discography

Notable albums1967 I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You
1967 Aretha Arrives
1968 Lady Soul
1968 Aretha Now
1968 Aretha In Paris
1969 Soul '69
1969 Aretha's Gold
1970 This Girl's In Love With You
1970 Spirit in the Dark
1971 Live At Fillmore West
1971 Aretha's Greatest Hits
1972 Young, Gifted And Black
1972 Amazing Grace
1973 Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky)
1974 Let Me In Your Life
1974 With Everything I Feel In Me
1975 You
1976 Sparkle
1976 Ten Years Of Gold
1977 Sweet Passion
1978 Almighty Fire 1979 La Diva
1980 Aretha
1981 Love All The Hurt Away
1982 Jump To It
1983 Get It Right'
1985 Who's Zoomin' Who?
1986 Aretha
1987 One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
1989 Through The Storm
1991 What You See Is What You Sweat
1994 Greatest Hits 1980-1994
1998 A Rose Is Still A Rose
2001 Aretha's Best
2003 So Damn Happy
2007 Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen
2008 This Christmas

Top 10 US Hot 100 singles

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

Filmography

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)

TV Talkshow Music Appearances

Rolonda Watts (Rolonda Show)
Oprah Winfrey (Oprah's 40 Birthday, with Patti Labelle & Gladys Knight)

References

a b c Aretha Franklin
"The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone (1066): 73. 27 November 2008.
See [1]
Natalie Cole broke Aretha'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's "best-selling gospel album" status was later surpassed by Whitney Houston's, The Preacher's Wife.
Seelye, Katharine Q. (17 December 2008). "Obama Selects Evangelist for Invocation". New York Times.
"The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists
Aretha Franklin greatest singer in rock era: poll

External links

Aretha Franklin birthplace
Aretha Franklin at Legacy Recordings
Aretha Franklin at the Internet Movie Database
Aretha Franklin at the Memorable Music Hall of Fame at Memorable TV
Aretha Franklin at Soulmusic.com
Aretha Franklin Recognizing New Title "Empress of Music"
Soul Covers by Michael Awkward featuring research and analysis on Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin Video and Audio at Boston.com Multimedia Archive
Aretha Franklin at Swingin' Chicks of the '60s
Aretha Franklin at BBC News
Aretha Franklin at RollingStone.com/artists/
Works by or about Aretha Franklin in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
Aretha Franklin images and facts gallery
Aretha Franklin at NPR Music
Details about PBS' 1988 'American Masters' television special about Aretha Franklin at http://www.thirteen.org/pressroom/release.php?get=1938 (show is available on DVD through http://vpt.org/tvscheds/pbsvids.html

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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 Forty 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 movements and other triumphs for he 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 & 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--but generally her artistic inspiration seemed to be tapering off, and her focus drifting toward more pop-oriented material. 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 -- without remaining anything like the superstar she was at her peak. Many of her successes were duets, or crafted with the assistance of newer, glossier-minded contemporaries such as Luther Vandross. There was also another return to gospel in 1987 with One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism.

Critically, as is the case with many '60s rock legends, there have been mixed responses to her later work. Some view it as little more than a magnificent voice wasted on mediocre material and production. Others seem to grasp for any excuse they can to praise her whenever there seems to be some kind of resurgence of her soul leanings. Most would agree that her post-mid-'70s recordings are fairly inconsequential when judged against her prime Atlantic era. The blame is often laid at the hands of unsuitable material, but it should also be remembered that -- like Elvis Presley and Ray Charles -- Franklin never thought of herself as confined to one genre. She always loved to sing straight pop songs, even if her early Atlantic records gave one the impression that her true home was earthy soul music. If for some reason she returned to straight soul shouting in the future, it's doubtful that the phase would last for more than an album or two. In the meantime, despite her lukewarm recent sales record, she's an institution, assured of the ability to draw live audiences and immense respect for the rest of her lifetime, regardless of whether there are any more triumphs on record in store.

Source: Richie Unterberger

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Aretha Franklin is the undisputed “Queen of Soul” and the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She is a singer of great passion and control whose finest recordings define the term soul music in all its deep, expressive glory. As Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun observed, “I don’t think there’s anybody I have known who possesses an instrument like hers and who has such a thorough background in gospel, the blues and the essential black-music idiom.…She is blessed with an extraordinary combination of remarkable urban sophistication and of the deep blues feeling that comes from the Delta. The result is maybe the greatest singer of our time.” 

Franklin was born in Memphis and grew up in Detroit, where her father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, served as pastor at the New Bethel Baptist Church. One of the best-known religious orators of the day, Rev. Franklin was a friend and colleague of Martin Luther King. Aretha began singing church music at an early age, and recorded her first album, The Gospel Sound of Aretha Franklin, at fourteen. Her greatest influence was her aunt, Clara Ward, a renowned singer of sacred music. Beyond her family, Franklin drew from masters of the blues (Billie Holiday), jazz (Sarah Vaughn) and gospel (Mahalia Jackson), forging a contemporary synthesis that spoke to the younger generation in the new language of soul. 

Aretha signed with Columbia Records in 1960 after A&R man John Hammond heard a demo she cut in New York. She remained at Columbia for six years, cutting ten albums that failed to fully tap into her capabilities. Paired with pop-minded producers, she dabbled in a variety of styles without finding her voice. Franklin was never averse to the idea of crossover music, being a connoisseur of pop and show tunes, but she needed to interpret them in her own uncompromising way. In Hammond’s words, “I cherish the albums we made together, but Columbia was a white company who misunderstood her genius.” 

Jerry Wexler was waiting in the wings to sign Franklin when her contract with Columbia expired. With her switch to Atlantic in 1966, Aretha proceeded to revolutionize soul music with some of the genre’s greatest recordings. Her most productive period ran from 1967 through 1972. The revelations began with her first Atlantic single, “I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Loved You),” a smoldering performance that unleashed the full force of Franklin’s mezzo-soprano. Offering call-and-response background vocals on this and other tracks were Carolyn and Erma Franklin (Aretha’s sisters) and Cissy Houston. 

Franklin’s greatest triumph - and an enduring milestone in popular music - was “Respect.” Her fervent reworking of the Otis Redding-penned number can now be viewed as an early volley in the women’s movement. It was the opening track on I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You, her classic first album for Atlantic. Other memorable tracks from this pivotal release are “Do Right Woman - Do Right Man,” “Dr. Feelgood” and her cover of “A Change Is Gonna Come,” Sam Cooke’s civil rights-era anthem. (Cooke had been a frequent visitor to the Franklin family’s household when Aretha was growing up.) According to The Rolling Stone Album Guide, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You “may stand as the greatest single soul album of all time.” 

Working closely with producer Jerry Wexler, engineer Tom Dowd and arranger Arif Mardin, Franklin followed her triumphant first album with recordings that furthered her claim to the title “Queen of Soul.” Her next three albums - Aretha Arrives (1967), Lady Soul (1968) and Aretha Now (1968) - included “Chain of Fools,” “Think,” “Baby, I Love You,” “Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby),” and a soulful rendering of Carole King’s “A Natural Woman.” 

The Seventies brought continued success to Franklin. In the early years of that decade, she released such critically acclaimed albums as Spirit in the Dark (1970); Young, Gifted and Black (1972); Live at Fillmore West (1971); and Amazing Grace. The first two of these tapped into themes of black pride and feminine empowerment, while the latter - a double album that found her accompanied by James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir - brought her back to the church. 

Her lengthy tenure with Atlantic came to an end in 1979 after twelve years and nineteen albums. In the Eighties she recorded everything from gospel to dance music for Arista Records, finding the upper reaches of the charts with “Freeway of Love” and “Who’s Zoomin’ Who.” In 1987 Franklin had the second Number One hit of her career - “I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me),” a duet with George Michael - which came exactly twenty years after she topped the chart with “Respect.” Aretha teamed up with Rolling Stone Keith Richard in 1986 for a version of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” that appeared in the Whoopi Goldberg movie of the same name. She struck gold again in 1989 with “Through the Storm,” a duet with Elton John. Proving her durability, Franklin scaled the charts in 1998 with “A Rose Is Still a Rose,” written and produced by Lauryn Hill. 

As a measure of her impact, Aretha Franklin has charted more Top Forty singles - forty-five in all, since 1961 - than any other female performer. The basis of her success has been communication. 

“Music is my way of communicating that part of me I can get out front and share,” she told Essence magazine in 1973. “It’s what I have to give; my way of saying let’s find one another.” 
TIMELINE

March 25, 1942: Aretha Louise Franklin is born in Memphis, Tennessee. 

1956: The Gospel Sound of Aretha Franklin is released on the Detroit-based JVB Records. Recorded in church at age fourteen, it would be reissued thirty years later as Aretha Gospel. 

August 1, 1960: Aretha Franklin records four demos in New York City, which lead to a contract with Columbia Records. 

October 1960: The Great Aretha Franklin, the singer’s first album for Columbia - produced by John Hammond, who signed her to the label - is released. 

November 20, 1961: Aretha Franklin dents the Top Forty with an old Al Jolsen tune, “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody.” It will be her only hit in a six-year run with Columbia Records. 

October 1965: Aretha Franklin’s last recording session for Columbia Records paves the way for her signing to Atlantic Records in 1966. 

January 24, 1967: Aretha Franklin records “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),” the hit title track from her first album for Atlantic Records, at Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. 

March 10, 1967: I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, by Aretha Franklin, is released. It will reach #2 and remain on Billboard’s album chart for 79 weeks. 

June 3, 1967: “Respect,” Aretha Franklin’s definitive rendering of Otis Redding’s soul classic, tops both the pop chart for the first of two weeks and the R&B chart for the first of seven weeks. 

August 4, 1967: Aretha Arrives, Aretha Franklin’s second album for Atlantic Records, is released. 

January 2, 1968: Lady Soul, Aretha Franklin’s third album for Atlantic Records, is released. 

February 29, 1968: Aretha Franklin wins a pair of Grammy Awards (her first) for “Respect.” That same month, her cover of Don Covay’s “Chain of Fools” goes to the top (#1 R&B, #2 pop). 

April 27, 1971: Aretha Franklin’s gospel reworking of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” enters the charts. It will top the R&B chart for two weeks. 

May 19, 1971: Aretha Franklin’s Live at the Fillmore, culled from a three-night stand at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium, is released. 

June 1, 1972: The release of Aretha Franklin’s Amazing Grace, recorded at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, marks a return to the singer’s gospel roots. 

March 1, 1975: Aretha Franklin’s version of “Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real Thing” wins a Grammy Award in the “Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female” category. It is the tenth Grammy of her career. 

September 6, 1979: La Diva, Aretha’s final album for Atlantic Records, is released, ending her twelve-year association with the label. 

July 6, 1985: “Freeway of Love,” by Aretha Franklin, marks the soul diva’s return to the Top Ten for the first time in more than a decade. 

January 21, 1987: Aretha Franklin is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the second annual induction dinner. Keith Richard is her presenter. 

April 18, 1987: Aretha Franklin hits Number One for the second time in her career with “I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me),” a duet with George Michael. 

March 2, 1988: Aretha Franklin wins Grammy Awards for Aretha (Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female) and “I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)” (Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal). 

February 22, 1989: One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, by Aretha Franklin, wins a Grammy Award in the “Best Soul Gospel Album, Female” category. 

February 26, 1992: Aretha Franklin receives a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s third annual Pioneer Awards. 

September 18, 1992: Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings, a four-disc collection of Aretha Franklin’s best work, is released on Rhino Records. 

December 4, 1994: Aretha Franklin becomes the youngest recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors at age fifty-two. 

February 8, 1997: Aretha Franklin is inducted into the NAACP’s Hall of Fame at the annual Image Awards. 

May 2, 1998: Peaking at #26, “A Rose Is Still a Rose” becomes a late-Nineties hit for Aretha Franklin, who’s now charted singles in four consecutive decades.

Source: Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame