Contents
Aretha Franklin
Turning Respect into a soul anthem.
Queen of Soul · Amazing Grace
- Born
- 25 March 1942
- Birthplace
- Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- Died
- 16 August 2018
More people
Aretha Franklin
An American singer and pianist who carried the phrasing and power of gospel into soul and popular music.
Early life
Detroit upbringing
Her family moved to Detroit, where her father led New Bethel Baptist Church.
Gospel beginnings
Sang in church as a child and developed her piano playing.
Career
- 1960
Professional recording
Signed with Columbia Records.
- 1966
Atlantic move
Changed labels before a run of major soul hits.
- 1980
Arista years
Began another phase of her recording career with Arista.
Selected work
Respect
Her recording made Otis Redding’s song her signature.
Lady Soul
Album featuring Chain of Fools and A Natural Woman.
Amazing Grace
A live gospel recording returning to her musical roots.
Beyond work
Family
Mother of four sons.
Detroit home
Returned to the Detroit area in 1982 to be near family.
Sources & photo credit
Biographical reference ↗Library of Congress: Respect ↗Photo: Atlantic Records (Life time: Published before 1978 without a copyright notice). Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
