Aretha Franklin

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of Aretha Franklin in the history of American popular music. The definitive soul singer of the 1960s, Franklin stands beside Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra as one of the few perfect pop voices this country has ever produced. Franklin’s instantly recognizable artistic signature—a flawless mezzo-soprano dynamo of blues phrasing, gospel melisma, and pop precision, punctuated by unpredictable two-octave leaps and a deeply sensual, earthy growl—shines like a supernova in a galaxy of mere stars.

As a teenager, Franklin toured the gospel circuit with her father, the Reverend C.L. Franklin (a nationally known gospel star and pastor of Detroit’s New Bethel Baptist Church), earning the admiration of gospel legends Mahalia Jackson, the Reverend James Cleveland, and Sam Cooke. In 1960, Aretha graduated to New York City, where she was signed to Columbia Records by legendary talent scout John Hammond. Over the next six years, however, Franklin struggled to find a showcase for her talent, recording ten albums, but charting only one Top 40 hit (1961’s #37 “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody”).

In 1966, the triumvirate of Atlantic Records vice president/producer Jerry Wexler, arranger Arif Mardin, and engineer Tom Dowd beckoned Franklin to Alabama’s famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, where she would create a string of phenomenal recordings that are among the most exhilarating musical performances ever captured on disc. Franklin’s first release, 1967’s “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You),” an instant #1 R&B hit, marked the first of an astounding 45 Top 40 singles she would enjoy over her career. From ’67 to ’69, Franklin spun out hit after hit, including her signature tune, “Respect” (which topped the Pop chart and scored Franklin her first Grammy), plus “Baby I Love You,” “Chain Of Fools,” “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone,” and “Think,” each an R&B #1. Her albums of the period, particularly I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You (1967), Aretha Now (1968), Lady Soul (1968), and Soul ’69 (1969), stand as virtual blueprints of soul music. By 1968, she was being hailed as “The Queen of Soul” and the personification of the nation’s newfound black pride movement. Martin Luther King presented an award to her, and she graced the cover of Time magazine. By the time the ’60s came to an end, Franklin was a living legend.

By the ’70s, Franklin’s music grew quieter as her personal life grew more turbulent. Nonetheless, she still managed 10 more #1 R&B hits, including “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Spanish Harlem,” “Day Dreaming,” and “Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do).” The albums Young, Gifted And Black and the gospel extravaganza Amazing Grace (recorded live with her father and the Reverend James Cleveland) found Franklin coming to terms with her own legacy and discovering a fresh direction.

In the ’80s, she was unexpectedly embraced by a new generation through her featured role in The Blues Brothers movie, and reestablished herself on the R&B charts with three more #1s: “Jump To It,” “Get It Right,” and “Freeway Of Love.” She even scored her second Pop #1 with “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” a duet with George Michael.

Honored as the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, Franklin continues to record gospel, soul, and classical music today.

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