The natural woman, Aretha Franklin, multiple Grammy Award-winner and the ‘Queen of Soul’, said a little prayer and sent it right into our ears and hearts.
As the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and an Icon honoree at Billboard’s Women in Music celebration, this talented artist won 18 Grammy Awards, was a Kennedy Center Honoree, and, for her humanitarian work, earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Aretha Louise Franklin is a revered living legend and one of the most prolific singers of our time.
The talented artist was born on March 25, 1942 and began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, where her father, C. L. Franklin, was minister. In 1960, at the age of 18, she embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records but only achieving modest success. Following her signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as “Respect”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, “Spanish Harlem” and “Think”.
By the end of the 1960s she had gained the title “The Queen of Soul”.
Franklin eventually recorded a total of 112 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries and twenty number-one R&B singles, becoming the most charted female artist in the chart’s history. Franklin also recorded acclaimed albums such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Lady Soul, Young, Gifted and Black and Amazing Grace before experiencing problems with her record company by the mid-1970s.
After her father was shot in 1979, Franklin left Atlantic and signed with Arista Records, finding success with her part in the film The Blues Brothers and with the albums Jump to It and Who’s Zoomin’ Who?. In 1998, Franklin won international acclaim for singing the opera aria “Nessun dorma”, at the Grammys of that year replacing Luciano Pavarotti. Later that same year, she scored her final Top 40 recording with “A Rose Is Still a Rose”. Franklin’s other popular and well known hits include “Rock Steady”, “Jump to It”, “Freeway of Love”, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who”, “Chain Of Fools”, “Something He Can Feel”, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” (with George Michael), and a remake of The Rolling Stones song “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”.
Franklin has won a total of 18 Grammy Awards and is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. The incredible artist has been honoured throughout her career including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in which she became the first female performer to be inducted.
She was also inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In August 2012, Franklin was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Franklin is listed in at least two all-time lists on Rolling Stone magazine, including the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time; and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
We’ve listed our top 10 Aretha Franklin songs for us all to remember the Queen of Soul today.
10. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man (1967)
9. Don’t Play That Song (1970)
8. Chain of Fools (1967)
7. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (1967)
6. Ain’t No Way (1968)
5. I Say a Little Prayer (1968)
4. Dr Feelgood (Love Is a Serious Business) (1967)
3. Think (1968)
2. Respect (1967)
1. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I loved You) (1967)
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