August 17, 2018

Yesterday, on Aug. 16, 2018, American rhythm and blues singer Aretha Franklin died at age 76 at her home in Detroit, Michigan. Franklin ranks among the best-selling female artists in the history of recorded music. Popularly known as the “Queen of Soul,” her 1967 recording of “Respect” became an inspirational anthem for the civil rights movement and a symbol of black pride.

American rhythm and blues singer Aretha Franklin died on Aug. 16, 2018. Credit: © Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images/Thinkstock

Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee. She was raised in Detroit. She began her singing career at the age of 12 in the Detroit church of her father, C. L. Franklin, a noted preacher and gospel singer. She later transferred the passion and intensity of her gospel singing to popular songs. Most of Franklin’s recordings also feature her piano playing.

Aretha Franklin, center, performs on an American television program in 1968. Credit: © CBS/Landov

Franklin’s period of greatest popularity came in the late 1960′s and early 1970′s. In 1967 alone, she had five top-10 hit recordings. They were “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),” “Respect,” “Baby, I Love You,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and “Chain of Fools.” In 1968, she recorded the hits “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone,” “Think,” “The House That Jack Built,” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” Franklin’s other hits include “Share Your Love with Me” (1969), “Call Me” (1970), “Spanish Harlem” and “Rock Steady” (both 1971), “Day Dreaming” (1972), “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” (1973), “Freeway of Love” (1985), and “Jimmy Lee” (1986). Franklin also recorded gospel music. Her gospel albums include Amazing Grace (1972) and One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism (1987).

Franklin won numerous Grammy Awards and, in 1987, she was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She sang “I Dreamed a Dream” at President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration in 1993. In 2005, Franklin received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the president of the United States. Memorable later performances included her rendition of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” at President Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009; and “(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman” at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors, where she herself was honored in 1994. Kennedy Center Honors are awarded annually to men and women in recognition of their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.