Aretha Franklin

Biography

Aretha Louise Franklin ( ə-REE-thə; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Regarded as the "Queen of Soul×Queen of Soul1968 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1You Made Me Love You2:32A2Follow Your Heart2:24A3Love for Sale2:40A4I Surrender, Dear2:48A5Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home2:18B1What a Diff’rence a Day Made3:31B2I May Never Get to Heaven3:28B3I Apologize2:53B4It’s Just a Matter of Time2:58", she was twice named by Rolling Stone magazine as the greatest singer of all time.
As a child, Franklin was noticed for her gospel singing at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father, C. L. Franklin, was a minister. At the age of 18 she was signed as a recording artist for Columbia Records. While her career did not immediately flourish, Franklin found acclaim and commercial success after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966. There she recorded significant hit albums such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You×I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You10 March 1967 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Respect2:27A2Drown in My Own Tears4:06A3I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)2:45A4Soul Serenade2:37A5Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream2:19A6Baby, Baby, Baby2:54B1Dr. Feelgood3:21B2Good Times2:08B3Do Right Woman – Do Right Man3:17B4Save Me2:19B5A Change Is Gonna Come4:17, Lady Soul×Lady Soul22 January 1968 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)2:18A2Chain of Fools2:45A3Niki Hoeky2:33A4Money Won’t Change You2:00A596 Tears2:12A6Come Back Baby2:29B1Good to Me as I Am to You3:25B2Ain’t No Way4:12B3People Get Ready3:35B4Night Life3:10B5Going Down Slow4:27 and Aretha Now×Aretha Now14 June 1968 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Think2:20A2I Say a Little Prayer3:37A3See Saw2:46A4Night Time Is the Right Time4:50A5You Send Me2:30B1You're a Sweet Sweet Man2:19B2I Take What I Want2:33B3Hello Sunshine3:04B4A Change2:27B5I Can't See Myself Leaving You3:01 in the late 1960s and Young, Gifted and Black, Amazing Grace and Sparkle in the 1970s, before experiencing problems with the record company. Franklin left Atlantic in 1979 and signed with Arista Records, where her career was revived with the hit albums Jump to It×Jump to It26 July 1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Jump to It6:41A2Love Me Right4:09A3If She Don’t Want Your Lovin’5:39A4This Is for Real4:50B1(It’s Just) Your Love4:50B2I Wanna Make It Up to You6:42B3It’s Your Thing4:14B4Just My Daydream5:56, Who's Zoomin' Who?, Aretha×Aretha27 February 1961 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Won’t Be Long3:11A2Over the Rainbow2:40A3Love Is the Only Thing2:42A4Sweet Lover3:24A5All Night Long2:59A6Who Needs You?2:48B1Right Now2:24B2Are You Sure2:42B3Maybe I’m a Fool3:18B4It Ain’t Necessarily So2:53B5(Blue) By Myself2:40B6Today I Sing the Blues2:47 and A Rose Is Still a Rose×A Rose Is Still a Rose24 March 1998 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1A Rose Is Still a Rose4:262Never Leave You Again4:283In Case You Forgot4:494Here We Go Again3:305Every Lil’ Bit Hurts4:076In the Morning4:567I’ll Dip4:068How Many Times4:219Watch My Back4:4510Love Pang4:2011The Woman7:41.
Franklin is one of the best-selling music artists, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide. She had 112 singles on the US Billboard charts, including 73 Hot 100 entries, 17 top-ten pop singles, 96 R&B entries and 20 number-one R&B singles. Although her rendition of "Respect×RespectAlbum · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks1Respect2:132Think2:183Spanish Harlem3:324You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Women2:475I Say a Little Prayer3:356Son of a Preacher Man3:187I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)2:518Chain of Fools2:489Don't Play That Song3:0110Angel4:2911Rocksteady3:1412See Saw2:4513The House That Jack Built2:2114Oh No Not My Baby2:5315Until You Come Back to Me3:2716Good Times2:0817Since You've Been Gone2:2418You're All I Need to Get By3:3619Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing3:4920Do Right Woman - Do Right Man3:1521Share Your Love With Me3:2022Something He Can Feel6:1723Ain't No Way4:1524Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves4:15" has been referred to as her signature song, Franklin is known for other hit singles such as "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Chain of Fools×Chain of Fools21 September 1993 · Album · CompilationSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Respect2:252Chain of Fools2:483I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)2:514Do Right Woman, Do Right Man3:165The Weight2:546Baby, I Love You2:437Ain't No Way4:148My Song3:329You Send Me2:2810Tracks of My Tears2:53", "Think×Think2 May 1968 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAThink2:15BYou Send Me2:25", "I Say a Little Prayer", "Rock Steady", "Day Dreaming", "Freeway of Love×Freeway of Love1985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksA1Freeway of Love (rock mix)4:40A2Freeway of Love (single mix)4:09BFreeway of Love (extended re-mix)6:28" and "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)×I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)19 January 1987 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)4:02BI Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (instrumental)4:02" (a duet with George Michael). She also made a featured appearance in the 1980 musical-comedy film The Blues Brothers.
Franklin received numerous honors throughout her career. She won 18 Grammy Awards out of 44 nominations, including the first eight awards given for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (1968–1975), as well as a Grammy Living Legend Award and Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also awarded the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1987, she became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her other inductions include the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012, and posthumously the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2020 and the Volunteer State Music Hall of Fame in 2026. In 2019, the Pulitzer Prize jury awarded her a posthumous special citation "for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades".

Early life

Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, to Barbara (née Siggers) and Clarence LaVaughn "C. L." Franklin. She was delivered at her family's home at 406 Lucy Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee. Her father was a Baptist minister and circuit preacher originally from Shelby, Mississippi, and her mother was an accomplished piano player and vocalist. C. L. and Barbara Franklin both had children from prior relationships in addition to the four children they had together. When Aretha was two years old, the family moved to Buffalo, New York. By the time Aretha was five C. L. Franklin had permanently moved the family to Detroit, Michigan, where he took over the pastorship of the New Bethel Baptist Church.
The Franklins had a troubled marriage because of C. L. Franklin's infidelities, and they separated in 1948. At that time Barbara Franklin returned to Buffalo with Aretha's half-brother, Vaughn. After the separation, Aretha recalled seeing her mother in Buffalo during the summer, and Barbara Franklin frequently visited her children in Detroit. Aretha's mother died of a heart attack on March 7, 1952, before Aretha's 10th birthday. Several women, including Aretha's grandmother Rachel and Mahalia Jackson, took turns helping with the children at the Franklin home. During this time Aretha learned how to play piano by ear. She also attended public school in Detroit, going through her first year at Northern High School but dropping out during her second year.
Aretha gave birth to her first child, Clarence, when she was only 12 years old. She originally claimed that the father was a schoolmate named Donald Burke but one of her handwritten wills, discovered in 2019, revealed that the father was Edward Jordan Sr., who was 12–13 years older than her.
Aretha's father's emotionally driven sermons resulted in his being known as the man with the "million-dollar voice". He earned thousands of dollars for sermons in various churches across the country. His fame led to his home being visited by various celebrities. Among the visitors were gospel musicians Clara Ward, James Cleveland and early Caravans members Albertina Walker and Inez Andrews. Martin Luther King Jr, Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke all became friends of C. L. Franklin. Ward was romantically involved with Aretha's father from around 1949 until Ward's death in 1973, though Aretha "preferred to view them strictly as friends". Ward also served as a role model to the young Aretha.

1952–1960: Beginnings

Just after her mother's death, Franklin began singing solos at New Bethel Baptist Church, debuting with the hymn "Jesus, Be a Fence Around Me". When Franklin was 12, her father began managing her; he would take her on the road with him, during his "gospel caravan" tours for her to perform in various churches. He also helped her sign her first recording deal with J.V.B. Records. Franklin was featured on vocals and piano. In 1956, J.V.B. released Franklin's first single, "Never Grow Old×Never Grow Old1973 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Mother Loves Her ChildrenA2I Will Trust in the LordA3The Old Ship of Zion, Part 1A4The Old Ship of Zion, Part 2A5Never Grow OldB1I’m Going Through, Part 1B2I’m Going Through, Part 2B3Precious Lord, Part 1B4Precious Lord, Part 2B5You Grow Closer", backed with "You Grow Closer". "Precious Lord (Part One)" backed with "Precious Lord (Part Two)" followed in 1959. These four tracks, with the addition of "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood", were released on side one of the 1956 album, Spirituals. This was reissued by Battle Records in 1962, under the same title. In 1965, Checker Records released Songs of Faith, featuring the five tracks from the 1956 Spirituals album, with the addition of four previously unreleased recordings. Aretha was only 14 when Songs of Faith was recorded.
During this time, Franklin would occasionally travel with the Soul Stirrers. As a young gospel singer, Franklin spent summers on the gospel circuit in Chicago and stayed with Mavis Staples's family.
According to music producer Quincy Jones, while Franklin was still young, Dinah Washington let him know that "Aretha was the 'next one'". Franklin and her father traveled to California, where she met singer Sam Cooke. Other influences in her youth included Marvin Gaye, as well as Ray Charles and Cooke, "two of Franklin's greatest influences". Also important was James Cleveland, known as the King of Gospel music, "who helped to focus her early career as a gospel singer"; Cleveland had been recruited by her father as a pianist for the Southern California Community Choir. At the age of 16, Franklin went on tour with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and she would ultimately sing at his funeral in 1968.

1960–1966: Columbia years

After turning 18, Franklin confided to her father that she aspired to follow Sam Cooke in recording pop music, and moved to New York. Serving as her manager, C. L. Franklin agreed to the move and helped to produce a two-song demo that soon was brought to the attention of Columbia Records, who agreed to sign her in 1960, as a "five-percent artist". During this period, Franklin would be coached by choreographer Cholly Atkins to prepare for her pop performances. Before signing with Columbia, Sam Cooke tried to persuade Franklin's father to sign her with his label, RCA Victor, but she had already decided to go with Columbia. Berry Gordy had also asked Franklin and her elder sister Erma to sign with his Tamla label, but C. L. Franklin turned Gordy down, as he felt Tamla was not yet an established label. Franklin's first Columbia single, "Today I Sing the Blues×Today I Sing the Blues1969 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Walk On By2:59A2One Room Paradise2:07A3Take a Look2:55A4Evil Gal Blues2:48A5Every Little Bit Hurts2:44B1Won’t Be Long3:10B2Without the One You Love3:41B3Trouble in Mind2:10B4Rough Lover2:44B5Today I Sing the Blues2:49", was issued in September 1960 and later reached the top 10 of the Hot R&B Sides chart.
In January 1961, Columbia issued Franklin's first album, Aretha×Aretha27 February 1961 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Won’t Be Long3:11A2Over the Rainbow2:40A3Love Is the Only Thing2:42A4Sweet Lover3:24A5All Night Long2:59A6Who Needs You?2:48B1Right Now2:24B2Are You Sure2:42B3Maybe I’m a Fool3:18B4It Ain’t Necessarily So2:53B5(Blue) By Myself2:40B6Today I Sing the Blues2:47: With The Ray Bryant Combo. The album featured her first single to chart the Billboard Hot 100, "Won't Be Long", which also peaked at number 7 on the R&B chart. Mostly produced by Clyde Otis, Franklin's Columbia recordings saw her performing in diverse genres, such as standards, vocal jazz, blues, doo-wop and rhythm and blues. Before the year was out, Franklin scored her first hit-single with her rendition of the standard "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody". By the end of 1961, Franklin was named as a "new-star female vocalist" in DownBeat magazine. In 1962, Columbia issued two more albums, The Electrifying Aretha Franklin×The Electrifying Aretha Franklin19 March 1962 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1You Made Me Love You2:182I Told You So2:433Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody2:214Nobody Like You2:205Exactly Like You2:356It's So Heartbreakin'2:407Rough Lover2:528Blue Holiday2:589Just for You2:2310That Lucky Old Sun3:3711I Surrender, Dear2:4412Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive2:17 and The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin×The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin13 August 1962 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Don’t Cry Baby3:20A2Try a Little Tenderness3:17A3I Apologize2:51A4Without the One You Love2:49A5Look for the Silver Lining3:02A6I’m Sitting on Top of the World2:40B1Just for a Thrill2:51B2God Bless the Child3:01B3I’m Wandering3:25B4How Deep Is the Ocean2:47B5I Don’t Know You Anymore2:46B6Lover Come Back to Me2:33, the latter of which became her first charting album, reaching number 69 on the Billboard Top LPs – Monaural chart.
In the 1960s, during a performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, WVON radio personality Pervis Spann announced that Franklin should be crowned "the Queen of Soul×The Queen Of Soul2003 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Baby, I Love You2:432Chain of Fools2:493Respect2:264The House That Jack Built2:225Tracks of My Tears2:566People Get Ready3:447I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)2:528Night Time Is the Right Time4:489You're All I Need to Get By3:3710Rock Steady3:1411Son of a Preacher Man3:1812Do Right Woman, Do Right Man3:1513(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman2:4714Bridge Over Troubled Water3:18". Spann ceremonially placed a crown on her head. By 1964, Franklin began recording more pop music, reaching the top 10 on the R&B chart with the ballad "Runnin' Out of Fools", in early 1965. She had two R&B charted singles in 1965 and 1966, with the songs "One Step Ahead" and "Cry Like a Baby", while also reaching the Easy Listening charts with the ballads "You Made Me Love You" and "(No, No) I'm Losing You". By the mid-1960s, Franklin was making $100,000 per year from countless nightclub and theater performances. Also during that period, she appeared on rock-and-roll shows, such as Hollywood a Go-Go and Shindig! However, she struggled with commercial success while at Columbia. Label executive John H. Hammond later said he felt Columbia did not understand Franklin's early gospel background and failed to bring that aspect out further during her period there.

1966–1979: Atlantic years

In November 1966, Franklin's Columbia recording contract expired; at that time, she owed the company money because record sales had not met expectations. Producer Jerry Wexler convinced her to move to Atlantic Records. Wexler decided that he wanted to take advantage of her gospel background; his philosophy in general was to encourage a "tenacious form of rhythm & blues that became increasingly identified as soul". The Atlantic days would lead to a series of hits for Aretha Franklin between 1967 and early 1972; her rapport with Wexler helped in the creation of the majority of her peak recordings on the Atlantic label. The next seven years' achievements were less impressive. However, according to Rolling Stone, "they weren't as terrible as some claimed, they were pro forma and never reached for new heights".
In January 1967, Franklin traveled to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record at FAME Studios and recorded the song "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)×I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)10 February 1967 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You2:47BDo Right Woman – Do Right Man2:45", backed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Franklin only spent one day recording at FAME, as an altercation broke out between her manager and husband Ted White, studio owner Rick Hall, and a horn player, and sessions were abandoned. The song was released the following month and reached number one on the R&B chart, while also peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Franklin her first top-ten pop single. The song's B-side, "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man", reached the R&B top 40, peaking at number 37. "Respect×RespectAlbum · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks1Respect2:132Think2:183Spanish Harlem3:324You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Women2:475I Say a Little Prayer3:356Son of a Preacher Man3:187I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)2:518Chain of Fools2:489Don't Play That Song3:0110Angel4:2911Rocksteady3:1412See Saw2:4513The House That Jack Built2:2114Oh No Not My Baby2:5315Until You Come Back to Me3:2716Good Times2:0817Since You've Been Gone2:2418You're All I Need to Get By3:3619Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing3:4920Do Right Woman - Do Right Man3:1521Share Your Love With Me3:2022Something He Can Feel6:1723Ain't No Way4:1524Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves4:15" was Otis Redding's song but Aretha modified it with a "supercharged interlude featuring the emphatic spelling-out of the song's title". Her frenetic version was released in April and reached number one on both the R&B and pop charts. "Respect" became her signature song and was later hailed as a civil rights and feminist anthem. Upon hearing her version, Otis Redding said admiringly: "That little girl done took my song away from me." Franklin's debut Atlantic album, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You×I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You10 March 1967 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Respect2:27A2Drown in My Own Tears4:06A3I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)2:45A4Soul Serenade2:37A5Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream2:19A6Baby, Baby, Baby2:54B1Dr. Feelgood3:21B2Good Times2:08B3Do Right Woman – Do Right Man3:17B4Save Me2:19B5A Change Is Gonna Come4:17, also became commercially successful, later going gold. According to National Geographic, this recording "would catapult Franklin to fame". Franklin scored two additional top-ten singles in 1967: "Baby I Love You" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman".
Working with Wexler and Atlantic, Franklin had become "the most successful singer in the nation" by 1968. In 1968, Franklin issued the top-selling albums Lady Soul×Lady Soul22 January 1968 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)2:18A2Chain of Fools2:45A3Niki Hoeky2:33A4Money Won’t Change You2:00A596 Tears2:12A6Come Back Baby2:29B1Good to Me as I Am to You3:25B2Ain’t No Way4:12B3People Get Ready3:35B4Night Life3:10B5Going Down Slow4:27 and Aretha Now×Aretha Now14 June 1968 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Think2:20A2I Say a Little Prayer3:37A3See Saw2:46A4Night Time Is the Right Time4:50A5You Send Me2:30B1You're a Sweet Sweet Man2:19B2I Take What I Want2:33B3Hello Sunshine3:04B4A Change2:27B5I Can't See Myself Leaving You3:01, which included some of her most popular hit singles, including "Chain of Fools×Chain of Fools21 September 1993 · Album · CompilationSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Respect2:252Chain of Fools2:483I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)2:514Do Right Woman, Do Right Man3:165The Weight2:546Baby, I Love You2:437Ain't No Way4:148My Song3:329You Send Me2:2810Tracks of My Tears2:53", "Ain't No Way", "Think×Think2 May 1968 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAThink2:15BYou Send Me2:25", and "I Say a Little Prayer". That February, Franklin earned the first two of her Grammys, including the debut category for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. On February 16, Franklin was honored with a day named for her and was greeted by longtime friend Martin Luther King Jr., who gave her the SCLC Drum Beat Award for Musicians less than two months before his death. Franklin toured outside the US for the first time in late April/May 1968, including an appearance at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, where she played to a near-hysterical audience who covered the stage with flower petals. She performed two concerts in London, at the Finsbury Park Astoria and the Hammersmith Odeon on May 11 and 12. In June 1968, she appeared on the cover of Time magazine in a portrait illustration by Boris Chaliapin.

In March 1969, Franklin was unanimously voted winner of Académie du Jazz's R&B award, Prix Otis Redding, for her albums Lady Soul, Aretha×Aretha27 February 1961 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Won’t Be Long3:11A2Over the Rainbow2:40A3Love Is the Only Thing2:42A4Sweet Lover3:24A5All Night Long2:59A6Who Needs You?2:48B1Right Now2:24B2Are You Sure2:42B3Maybe I’m a Fool3:18B4It Ain’t Necessarily So2:53B5(Blue) By Myself2:40B6Today I Sing the Blues2:47 Now, and Aretha in Paris×Aretha in ParisOctober 1968 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction2:172Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream2:203Soul Serenade3:154Night Life4:055Baby, I Love You2:466Groovin’3:127(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman3:368Come Back Baby3:049Dr. Feelgood (Love Is a Serious Business)4:1310Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)2:2711I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)3:5512Chain of Fools2:5213Respect3:06. That year, Franklin was the subject of a criminal impersonation scheme. Another woman performed at several Florida venues under the name Aretha Franklin. Suspicion was drawn when the fake Franklin charged only a fraction of the expected rate to perform. Franklin's lawyers contacted Florida authorities and uncovered a coercive scheme in which the singer, Vickie Jones, had been threatened with violence and constrained into impersonating her idol, whom she resembled closely both in voice and looks. After being cleared of wrongdoing, Jones subsequently enjoyed a brief career of her own, during which she was herself the subject of an impersonation.
Franklin's success further expanded during the early 1970s, during which she recorded the multi-week R&B number one "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", as well as the top-ten singles "Spanish Harlem×Spanish Harlem1998 · Album · CompilationSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Spanish Harlem3:362Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)3:283Angel3:374Border Song (Holy Moses)3:225Share Your Love With Me3:256See Saw2:467Something He Can Feel3:298Gentle on My Mind2:299Jump2:2010Day Dreaming3:58", "Rock Steady", and "Day Dreaming". Some of these releases were from the acclaimed albums Spirit in the Dark×Spirit in the Dark24 August 1970 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Don’t Play That Song3:00A2The Thrill Is Gone (From Yesterday’s Kiss)4:42A3Pullin’3:36A4You and Me3:36A5Honest I Do3:19A6Spirit in the Dark4:02B1When the Battle Is Over2:42B2One Way Ticket2:51B3Try Matty’s2:32B4That’s All I Want From You2:46B5Oh No Not My Baby2:53B6Why I Sing the Blues3:05 (released in August 1970, in which month she again performed at London's Hammersmith Odeon) and Young, Gifted and Black (released in early 1972). In 1971, Franklin became the first R&B performer to headline Fillmore West, later that year releasing the live album Aretha Live at Fillmore West×Live at Fillmore West19 May 1971 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracksA1Respect3:43A2Love the One You’re With4:04A3Bridge Over Troubled Water5:40A4Eleanor Rigby2:25A5Make It With You4:30A6Don’t Play That Song3:17B1Dr. Feelgood7:02B2Spirit in the Dark5:28B3Spirit in the Dark (reprise)8:28B4Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)2:50.
In January 1972, she returned to gospel music in a two-night, live-church recording, with the album Amazing Grace×Amazing Grace1972 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Mary Don’t You Weep7:29A2Medley: Precious Lord, Take My Hand / You’ve Got a Friend5:34A3Old Landmark3:40A4Give Yourself to Jesus5:16B1How I Got Over4:22B2What a Friend We Have in Jesus6:03B3Amazing Grace10:45Disc 2C1Precious Memories7:20C2Climbing Higher Mountains2:32C3Remarks by Reverend C.L. Franklin1:56C4God Will Take Care of You8:48D1Wholy Holy5:30D2You’ll Never Walk Alone6:31D3Never Grow Old9:57, in which she reinterpreted standards such as Mahalia Jackson's "How I Got Over". Originally released in June 1972, Amazing Grace sold more than two million copies, and is one of bestselling gospel albums of all time. The live performances were filmed for a concert film directed by Sydney Pollack, but because of synching problems and Franklin's own attempts to prevent the film's distribution, the film's release was only realized by producer Alan Elliott in November 2018.
Franklin's career began to experience problems while recording the album Hey Now Hey, which featured production from Quincy Jones. Despite the success of the single "Angel", the album bombed upon its release in 1973. Franklin continued having R&B success with songs such as "Until You Come Back to Me" and "I'm in Love", but by 1975 her albums and songs were no longer top sellers. After Jerry Wexler left Atlantic for Warner Bros. Records in 1976, Franklin worked on the soundtrack to the film Sparkle×Sparkle27 May 1976 · Album · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Sparkle4:132Something He Can Feel6:223Hooked on Your Love5:014Look Into Your Heart4:055I Get High4:126Jump2:207Loving You Baby3:498Rock With Me3:11 with Curtis Mayfield. The album yielded Franklin's final top 40 pop hit of the decade, "Something He Can Feel", which also peaked at number one on the R&B chart. Franklin's follow-up albums for Atlantic, including Sweet Passion×Sweet Passion19 May 1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Break It to Me Gently3:21A2When I Think About You4:46A3What I Did for Love5:17A4No One Could Ever Love You More3:36A5A Tender Touch3:58B1Touch Me Up4:38B2Sunshine Will Never Be the Same3:36B3Meadows of Springtime5:26B4Mumbles3:40B5Sweet Passion7:12 (1977), Almighty Fire×Almighty Fire13 April 1978 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Almighty Fire (Woman of the Future)4:36A2Lady, Lady2:45A3More Than Just a Joy3:03A4Keep On Loving You3:12A5I Needed You Baby4:38B1Close to You4:22B2No Matter Who You Love4:01B3This You Can Believe4:46B4I’m Your Speed3:40 (1978) and La Diva (1979), bombed on the charts, and in 1979 Franklin left the company. On November 7, 1979, she guested The Mike Douglas Show with her yellow costume from her La Diva album, and sang "Ladies Only", "What If I Should Ever Need You" and "Yesterday" by the Beatles.

1980–2007: Arista years

In 1980, after leaving Atlantic Records, Franklin signed with Clive Davis's Arista Records. "Davis was beguiling and had the golden touch", according to Rolling Stone. "If anybody could rejuvenate Franklin's puzzlingly stuck career, it was Davis." Franklin participated in the musical comedy film, The Blues Brothers, in a cameo guest role as a soul food restaurant proprietor and wife of Matt "Guitar" Murphy. In November of that year, Franklin participated in the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium in front of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, directed by Louis Benjamin in celebration of fifty years of entertainment.
Franklin's first Arista release, Aretha, was released in 1980 and produced the top three R&B hit single "United Together". While not released as a single, Franklin's funk-influenced cover of Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" on the same album resulted in her first Grammy nomination in four years.
The follow-up album, Love All the Hurt Away×Love All the Hurt Away20 August 1981 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Love All the Hurt Away4:12A2Hold On I’m Comin’5:15A3Living in the Streets3:54A4There’s a Star for Everyone4:27A5You Can’t Always Get What You Want5:18B1It’s My Turn5:30B2Truth and Honesty4:15B3Search On4:48B4Whole Lot of Me3:24B5Kind of Man4:20 (1981) featured her hit R&B duet of the title track with George Benson, while a post-disco rendition of Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'" won Franklin her first Grammy in six years.
For her next Arista release, Clive Davis hired rising soul singer Luther Vandross to produce, resulting in Jump to It (1982). Producing her first top 40 single on the Billboard Hot 100 since "Something He Can Feel" with the danceable title track", the album would become her first since the Sparkle×Sparkle27 May 1976 · Album · SoundtrackSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Sparkle4:132Something He Can Feel6:223Hooked on Your Love5:014Look Into Your Heart4:055I Get High4:126Jump2:207Loving You Baby3:498Rock With Me3:11 soundtrack seven years earlier to receive a gold certification from the RIAA.
When her immediate Vandross-helmed follow-up, Get It Right (1983), failed to perform successfully despite the title track becoming a number one R&B single, Arista hired a young Narada Michael Walden to produce the album, Who's Zoomin' Who.
Eschewing her R&B and soul roots, the album brought on a crossover pop sound with elements of synthesized dance-rock and urban pop. Featuring the top ten Hot 100 hits such as "Freeway of Love×Freeway of Love1985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksA1Freeway of Love (rock mix)4:40A2Freeway of Love (single mix)4:09BFreeway of Love (extended re-mix)6:28" and the title track, the album peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard 200, her highest peak in nearly 20 years and was her first album to be certified platinum in the United States. Part of the album's success was due to exposure on the then-fledgling music video channel MTV, which also exposed Franklin to a younger audience. Franklin also achieved a top 20 hit with the duet, "Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves" with the new wave band Eurythmics.
On October 27, 1986, Franklin issued her sixth Arista release, Aretha (sometimes referred to as Aretha '86). The Walden-produced album went gold on the strength of her globally successful duet with George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)×I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)19 January 1987 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)4:02BI Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (instrumental)4:02", which became her first single in nearly twenty years to top the Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the charts in the United Kingdom and Australia and resulted in Grammy wins for Franklin. Other hit singles on Aretha included a pop-rock rendition of "Jumpin' Jack Flash", culled from the Whoopi Goldberg-starring film of the same name, and "Jimmy Lee×Jimmy Lee1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAJimmy Lee5:47BIf You Need My Love Tonight4:30".
Throughout 1987, Franklin provided vocals to the theme songs of the TV shows A Different World and Together. Also in 1987, the artist performed "America the Beautiful" at WWE's Wrestlemania III; one source states that "to this day her WrestleMania III performance might be the most memorable" of the event openers by many artists. That same year, Franklin released her second full-length gospel album, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism×One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism1987 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Walk in the Light4:012Prayer Invocation5:493Introduction of Aretha Franklin and The Franklin Sisters0:484Jesus Hears Every Prayer7:205Surely God Is Able4:476The Lord’s Prayer5:067Introduction of Aretha and Mavis3:228Oh Happy Day6:109We Need Power6:3210Ave Maria6:5011Introduction to Higher Ground4:0812Higher Ground3:5713I’ve Been in the Storm Too Long8:1014Packing Up, Getting Ready to Go5:34, which was recorded at her late father's New Bethel church.
After 1988, "Franklin never again had huge hits", according to Rolling Stone. In 1989, Franklin reunited with Narada Michael Walden on the album Through the Storm×Through the Storm1989 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Gimme Your Love5:202Mercy4:083He’s the Boy4:084It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be5:395Through the Storm4:256Think (1989)3:387Come to Me3:438If Ever a Love There Was4:46. Despite the appearances of Elton John and fellow label mate and "honorary niece" Whitney Houston, the album sold poorly, as did her 1991 follow-up, What You See is What You Sweat×What You See Is What You Sweat11 September 1991 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Everyday People3:512Ever Changing Times4:563What You See Is What You Sweat4:254Mary Goes Round3:085I Dreamed a Dream4:196Someone Else’s Eyes4:587Doctor’s Orders4:378You Can’t Take Me for Granted5:139What Did You Give5:0210Everyday People (remix)4:08. Both albums attempted to bring Franklin to the new jack swing era but were critical failures as well.
Franklin returned to the charts in 1993 with the house song "A Deeper Love×A Deeper Love1994 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1A Deeper Love (C+C Hot mix)4:442A Deeper Love (single mix)4:383A Deeper Love (Morales single mix)4:264A Deeper Love (Tribesman mix)11:225A Deeper Love (C+C Music Factory mix)12:06", which was featured on the soundtrack to Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit and topped the Billboard Dance Club Play chart and was a UK top five hit. A year later, Franklin began working with Babyface, landing her first top 40 single in five years with the R&B ballad, "Willing to Forgive".
In 1995, Franklin portrayed Aunt Em in the Apollo Theater revival of The Wiz. That year, Franklin contributed to the soundtrack of Waiting to Exhale, after being handpicked by Whitney Houston to perform the ballad "It Hurts Like Hell", which reached the Billboard R&B charts.
Three years after that, Franklin released the album, A Rose Is Still a Rose×A Rose Is Still a Rose24 March 1998 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1A Rose Is Still a Rose4:262Never Leave You Again4:283In Case You Forgot4:494Here We Go Again3:305Every Lil’ Bit Hurts4:076In the Morning4:567I’ll Dip4:068How Many Times4:219Watch My Back4:4510Love Pang4:2011The Woman7:41, which produced her final top 40 single with the title track, with both the album and single earning gold certifications.

That same year, Franklin received global praise after her 1998 Grammy Awards performance. She had initially been asked to perform in honor of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, in which she appeared with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. That evening, after the show had already begun, another performer, opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti became too ill to perform the aria "Nessun dorma" as planned. The show's producers, desperate to fill the time slot, approached Franklin with their dilemma. She was a friend of Pavarotti and had sung the aria two nights prior at the annual MusiCares event. She asked to hear Pavarotti's rehearsal recording, and after listening, agreed that she could sing it in the tenor range that the orchestra was prepared to play in. More than one billion people worldwide saw the performance, and she received an immediate standing ovation.
She would go on to record the selection and perform it live several more times in the years to come. The last time she sang the aria live was for Pope Francis at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in September 2015. A small boy was so touched by her performance that he came onto the stage and embraced her while Franklin was still singing.
Her final Arista album, So Damn Happy×So Damn Happy16 September 2003 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1The Only Thing Missin’3:072Wonderful4:043Holdin’ On4:384No Matter What4:335Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool4:366So Damn Happy4:297You Are My Joy2:358Falling Out of Love4:319Ain’t No Way4:3810Good News4:5511You Are My Joy (reprise)2:34, was released in 2003 and featured the Grammy-winning song "Wonderful×Wonderful2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAWonderful (radio version)3:53BWonderful4:04". In 2004, Franklin announced that she was leaving Arista after more than 20 years with the label.
To complete her Arista obligations, Franklin issued the duets compilation album Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen in 2007. In February 2006, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" with Aaron Neville and Dr. John for Super Bowl XL, held in her hometown of Detroit.
In 2007, Franklin would perform America the Beautiful at WrestleMania 23, 20 years since her performance at WrestleMania 3, where she was specifically chosen to reflect the events "all grown up" theme and tagline.

2007–2018: Final years

In 2008, Franklin issued the holiday album This Christmas×This Christmas14 October 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Angels We Have Heard on High5:262This Christmas5:233My Grown-Up Christmas List5:154The Lord Will Make a Way5:435Silent Night5:066Ave Maria4:577Christmas Ain't Christmas (Without the One You Love)3:53814 Angels2:089One Night With the King6:0910Hark! The Herald Angels Sing5:2411'Twas the Night Before Christmas1:52, Aretha×Aretha27 February 1961 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Won’t Be Long3:11A2Over the Rainbow2:40A3Love Is the Only Thing2:42A4Sweet Lover3:24A5All Night Long2:59A6Who Needs You?2:48B1Right Now2:24B2Are You Sure2:42B3Maybe I’m a Fool3:18B4It Ain’t Necessarily So2:53B5(Blue) By Myself2:40B6Today I Sing the Blues2:47 on DMI Records. On February 8, 2008, Franklin was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year, and performed "Never Gonna Break My Faith", which had won her the Grammy for best gospel performance the year before. Twelve years later, an unheard performance of "Never Gonna Break My Faith" was released in June 2020 to commemorate Juneteenth with a new video visualizing the American human rights movement. This caused the song to enter the Billboard gospel charts at number one, giving Franklin the distinction of having had a number one record in every decade since the 1960s. On November 18, 2008, she performed "Respect×RespectAlbum · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks1Respect2:132Think2:183Spanish Harlem3:324You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Women2:475I Say a Little Prayer3:356Son of a Preacher Man3:187I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)2:518Chain of Fools2:489Don't Play That Song3:0110Angel4:2911Rocksteady3:1412See Saw2:4513The House That Jack Built2:2114Oh No Not My Baby2:5315Until You Come Back to Me3:2716Good Times2:0817Since You've Been Gone2:2418You're All I Need to Get By3:3619Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing3:4920Do Right Woman - Do Right Man3:1521Share Your Love With Me3:2022Something He Can Feel6:1723Ain't No Way4:1524Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves4:15" and "Chain of Fools×Chain of Fools21 September 1993 · Album · CompilationSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Respect2:252Chain of Fools2:483I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)2:514Do Right Woman, Do Right Man3:165The Weight2:546Baby, I Love You2:437Ain't No Way4:148My Song3:329You Send Me2:2810Tracks of My Tears2:53" at Dancing with the Stars.
On January 20, 2009, Franklin made international headlines for performing "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" at President Barack Obama's inaugural ceremony with her church hat becoming a popular topic online. In 2010, Franklin accepted an honorary degree from Yale University. In 2011, under her own label, Aretha's Records, she issued the album Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love×A Woman Falling Out of Love3 May 2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1How Long I’ve Been Waiting5:202Sweet Sixteen5:103This You Should Know4:164U Can’t See Me5:055A Summer Place4:396The Way We Were5:287New Day4:188Put It Back Together Again6:169Faithful6:3210His Eyes Is on the Sparrow6:0911When 2 Become One4:5612My Country ’Tis of Thee2:57.

In 2014, Franklin was signed under RCA Records, controller of the Arista catalog and a sister label to Columbia via Sony Music Entertainment, and worked with Clive Davis. There were plans for her to record an album produced by Danger Mouse, who was replaced with Babyface and Don Was when Danger Mouse left the project. On September 29, 2014, Franklin performed to a standing ovation, with Cissy Houston as backup, a compilation of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" on the Late Show with David Letterman. Franklin's cover of "Rolling in the Deep" was featured among nine other songs in her first RCA release, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, released in October 2014. In doing so, she became the first woman to have 100 songs on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with the success of her cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep", which debuted at number 47 on the chart.
In December 2015, Franklin gave an acclaimed performance of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors during the section for honoree Carole King, who co-wrote the song. During the swelling bridge of the song, Franklin dramatically dropped her fur coat from her shoulders to the stage, for which the audience rewarded her with a mid-performance standing ovation. Dropping the coat was symbolic according to Rolling Stone: it "echoed back to those times when gospel queens would toss their furs on top of the coffins of other gospel queens — a gesture that honored the dead but castigated death itself".
She returned to Detroit's Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day 2016 to once again perform the national anthem before the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. Seated behind the piano, wearing a black fur coat and Lions stocking cap, Franklin gave a rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" that lasted more than four minutes and featured a host of improvisations. Franklin released the album A Brand New Me×A Brand New Me10 November 2017 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Think2:552Don't Play That Song (You Lied)2:563I Say a Little Prayer4:184Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)3:305A Brand New Me4:196A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)3:367Angel4:428Border Song (Holy Moses)3:249Let It Be3:3410People Get Ready4:0411Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)4:1812You're All I Need To Get By3:5913Son of a Preacher Man3:2914Respect2:37 in November 2017 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which uses archived recordings from Franklin.
Franklin canceled some concerts in 2017 for health reasons. Nevertheless, she was still garnering highly favorable reviews for her skill and showmanship. At the Ravinia Festival on September 3, 2017, she gave her last full concert. Franklin's final public performance was at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City during Elton John's 25th anniversary gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation on November 7, 2017.

Music style and image

According to Richie Unterberger, Franklin was "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". She had often been described as a great singer and musician because of "vocal flexibility, interpretive intelligence, skillful piano-playing, her ear, her experience". Franklin's voice was described as being a "powerful mezzo-soprano voice". She was praised for her arrangements and interpretations of other artists' hit songs. According to David Remnick, what "distinguishes her is not merely the breadth of her catalog or the cataract force of her vocal instrument; it's her musical intelligence, her way of singing behind the beat, of spraying a wash of notes over a single word or syllable, of constructing, moment by moment, the emotional power of a three-minute song. 'Respect×RespectAlbum · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks1Respect2:132Think2:183Spanish Harlem3:324You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Women2:475I Say a Little Prayer3:356Son of a Preacher Man3:187I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)2:518Chain of Fools2:489Don't Play That Song3:0110Angel4:2911Rocksteady3:1412See Saw2:4513The House That Jack Built2:2114Oh No Not My Baby2:5315Until You Come Back to Me3:2716Good Times2:0817Since You've Been Gone2:2418You're All I Need to Get By3:3619Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing3:4920Do Right Woman - Do Right Man3:1521Share Your Love With Me3:2022Something He Can Feel6:1723Ain't No Way4:1524Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves4:15' is as precise an artifact as a Ming vase." Describing Franklin's voice on her first album, Songs of Faith×Songs of Faith1965 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1There Is a Fountain Filled With BloodA2Precious Lord (Part One)A3Precious Lord (Part Two)A4You Grow CloserA5Never Grow OldB1The Day Is Past and GoneB2He Will Wash You White as SnowB3While the Blood Runs WarmB4Yield Not to Temptation, released in 1956 when she was just 14, Jerry Wexler explained that it "was not that of a child but rather of an ecstatic hierophant". Critic Randy Lewis assessed her skills as a pianist as "magic" and "inspirational". Musicians and professionals alike – such as Elton John, Keith Richards, Carole King, and Clive Davis – were fans of her piano performances. In 2015, President Barack Obama wrote the following regarding Franklin:Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R. & B., rock and roll—the way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope. American history wells up when Aretha sings. That's why, when she sits down at a piano and sings 'A Natural Woman,' she can move me to tears—the same way that Ray Charles's version of 'America the Beautiful' will always be in my view the most patriotic piece of music ever performed—because it captures the fullness of the American experience, the view from the bottom as well as the top, the good and the bad, and the possibility of synthesis, reconciliation, transcendence.

Activism

From her time growing up in the home of a prominent African-American preacher to the end of her life, Franklin was immersed and involved in the struggle for civil rights and women's rights. She provided money for civil rights groups, at times covering payroll, and performed at benefits and protests.
When Angela Davis was jailed in 1970, Franklin told Jet: "Angela Davis must go free ... Black people will be free. I've been locked up (for disturbing the peace in Detroit) and I know you got to disturb the peace when you can't get no peace. Jail is hell to be in. I'm going to see her free if there is any justice in our courts, not because I believe in communism, but because she's a Black woman and she wants freedom for Black people."
Her songs "Respect×RespectAlbum · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks1Respect2:132Think2:183Spanish Harlem3:324You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Women2:475I Say a Little Prayer3:356Son of a Preacher Man3:187I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)2:518Chain of Fools2:489Don't Play That Song3:0110Angel4:2911Rocksteady3:1412See Saw2:4513The House That Jack Built2:2114Oh No Not My Baby2:5315Until You Come Back to Me3:2716Good Times2:0817Since You've Been Gone2:2418You're All I Need to Get By3:3619Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing3:4920Do Right Woman - Do Right Man3:1521Share Your Love With Me3:2022Something He Can Feel6:1723Ain't No Way4:1524Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves4:15" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" became anthems of these movements for social change.
Franklin and several other American icons declined to take part in performing at President Donald Trump's 2017 inauguration as a mass act of musical protest.
Franklin was also a strong supporter of Native American rights. She quietly and without fanfare supported Indigenous peoples' struggles worldwide, and numerous movements that supported Native American and First Nation cultural rights.

Personal life

Franklin moved to New York City from Detroit in the 1960s where she lived until relocating to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. She eventually settled in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Encino, where she lived until 1982. She then returned to the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills to be close to her ailing father and siblings. Franklin maintained a residence there until her death. Following an incident in 1984, she cited a fear of flying that prevented her from traveling overseas; she performed only in North America afterwards. Franklin was Baptist.
Franklin was the mother of four sons. At the age of 12, she gave birth to her first child, named Clarence after her father, on January 28, 1955. In one of her handwritten wills, discovered in 2019, Franklin revealed that the father was Edward Jordan Sr. On August 31, 1957, at the age of 15, Franklin had a second child fathered by Jordan, named Edward Derone Franklin after his father. Franklin did not like to discuss her early pregnancies with interviewers. Both children took her family name. While Franklin was pursuing her singing career and "hanging out with [friends]", her grandmother Rachel and sister Erma took turns raising her children. Franklin would visit them often. Her third child, Ted White Jr., was born to Franklin and her husband Theodore "Ted" White in February 1964 and is known professionally as Teddy Richards. He provided guitar backing for his mother's band during live concerts. Her youngest son, Kecalf Cunningham, was born in April 1970 and is the child of her road manager Ken Cunningham.
Franklin was married twice. Her first husband was Ted White, whom she married in 1961 at the age of 18. She had actually seen White the first time at a party held at her house in 1954. After a contentious marriage that was marred by domestic abuse, Franklin separated from White in 1968 and divorced him in 1969. She married actor Glynn Turman, on April 11, 1978, at her father's church. By marrying Turman, Franklin became stepmother of Turman's three children. Franklin and Turman separated in 1982 after she returned to Michigan from California and they divorced in 1984.
Franklin's sisters, Erma and Carolyn, were professional musicians and spent years performing background vocals on Franklin's recordings. Following Franklin's divorce from Ted White, her brother Cecil became her manager and maintained that position until his death from lung cancer on December 26, 1989. Her sister Carolyn died in April 1988 from breast cancer and her eldest sister Erma died from throat cancer in September 2002. Franklin's half-brother Vaughn died in late 2002. Her half-sister, Carol Ellan Kelley (née Jennings; 1940–2019), was C. L. Franklin's daughter by Mildred Jennings, a 12-year-old member of New Salem Baptist Church in Memphis where C. L. was pastor.
Franklin was performing at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 10, 1979, when her father, C. L., was shot twice at point-blank range in his Detroit home. After six months at Henry Ford Hospital while still in a coma, C. L. was moved back to his home with 24-hour nursing care. Aretha moved back to Detroit in late 1982 to support her sisters and assist with the care of her father, who died at Detroit's New Light Nursing Home on July 27, 1984.

Franklin had a long friendship with Willie Wilkerson, a Vietnam War veteran and Detroit firefighter, who also helped in her work and cared for her when ill. In 2012 she announced plans to marry Wilkerson but she quickly called off the engagement. Franklin's music business friends included Dionne Warwick, Mavis Staples, and Cissy Houston, who began singing with Franklin as members of the Sweet Inspirations. Houston sang background on Franklin's hit "Ain't No Way". Franklin first met Cissy's young daughter, Whitney Houston, in the early 1970s. She was made Whitney's honorary aunt (not a godmother as has been occasionally reported) and Whitney often referred to her as "Auntie Ree" or "Aunt Ree". Franklin was a registered Democrat.

Health

Franklin had weight issues for many years. In 1974, she lost 40 pounds (18 kg) on a very-low-calorie diet and maintained her new weight until the end of the decade. She again lost weight in the early 1990s, before gaining some back. A former chain smoker who struggled with alcoholism, she quit smoking in 1992. She admitted in 1994 that her smoking was "messing with my voice", but after quitting smoking she said later, in 2003, that her weight "ballooned".
In 2010, Franklin canceled a number of concerts to have surgery for an undisclosed tumor. Discussing the surgery in 2011, she quoted her doctor as saying that it would "add 15 to 20 years" to her life. She denied that the ailment had anything to do with pancreatic cancer, as had been reported. Franklin added, "I don't have to talk about my health with anybody other than my doctors ... The problem has been resolved". Following the surgery, Franklin lost 85 lbs.; however, she denied that she had undergone weight-loss surgery. On May 19, 2011, Franklin had her comeback show at the Chicago Theatre.
In May 2013, Franklin canceled two performances because of an undisclosed medical treatment. Further concert cancellations followed in the summer and fall. During a phone interview with the Associated Press in late August 2013, Franklin stated that she had had a "miraculous" recovery from her undisclosed illness but had to cancel shows and appearances until her health was at 100%, estimating she was about "85% healed". Franklin later returned to live performing, including a 2013 Christmas concert at Detroit's MotorCity Casino Hotel. She launched a multi-city tour in mid-2014, starting with a performance on June 14 in New York at Radio City Music Hall.
In February 2017, Franklin announced in an interview with local Detroit television anchor, Evrod Cassimy, that 2017 would be her final year touring. However, she scheduled some 2018 concert dates before canceling them based on her physician's advice.

Death and funeral

On August 13, 2018, Franklin was reported to be gravely ill at her home in Riverfront Towers, Detroit. She was under hospice care and surrounded by friends and family. Stevie Wonder, Jesse Jackson and former husband Glynn Turman visited her on her deathbed. Franklin died at her home on August 16, 2018, aged 76. She was initially thought to have died without a will. The cause of death was a malignant pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET), which is distinct from the most common form of pancreatic cancer. Numerous celebrities in the entertainment industry and politicians paid tribute to Franklin, including former U.S. President Barack Obama who said she "helped define the American experience". Civil rights activist and minister Al Sharpton called her a "civil rights and humanitarian icon".
A memorial service was held at her home church, New Bethel Baptist Church, on August 19. Thousands then paid their respects during the public lying-in-repose at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. The August 31 Homegoing Service held at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, included multiple tributes by celebrities, politicians, friends and family members and was streamed by some news agencies such as Fox News, CNN, The Word Network, BET and MSNBC. Among those who paid tribute to Aretha at the service were Ariana Grande, Bill Clinton, Rev. Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, Faith Hill, Fantasia, the Clark Sisters, Ronald Isley, Angie Stone, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Holliday, Loretta Devine, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Tasha Cobbs, Shirley Caesar, Shirma Rouse, Stevie Wonder, Eric Holder, Gladys Knight, Cedric the Entertainer, Tyler Perry, Smokey Robinson, Yolanda Adams, and Rev. Dr. William Barber II. At Franklin's request she was eulogized by Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. of Salem Baptist Church in Atlanta, as he had eulogized her father as well as speaking at other family memorials. Williams's eulogy was criticized for being "a political address that described children being in a home without a father as 'abortion after birth' and said black lives do not matter unless blacks stop killing each other". Franklin's nephew Vaughan complained of Williams: "He spoke for 50 minutes and at no time did he properly eulogize her." Following a telecast procession up Seven Mile Road, Franklin was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.

Legacy and honors

Franklin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1979, had her voice declared a Michigan "natural resource" in 1985, and became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1999, VH1 honored Franklin as the top artist in their 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll television special. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences awarded her a Grammy Legend Award in 1991, then the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. Franklin was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1994, recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 1999, recipient of the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award presented by Awards Council member Coretta Scott King, and was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 by then President George W. Bush. She was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2015. Franklin became the second woman inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. She was the 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year, performing at the Grammys days later. In 2019 she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation "[f]or her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades". Franklin was the first individual woman to receive a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation. At the beginning of her career, Siouxsie Sioux named her as her favourite female singer.
In 2010 Franklin was ranked first on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" and ninth on their list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Following news of Franklin's surgery and recovery in February 2011, the Grammys ceremony paid tribute to the singer with a medley of her classics performed by Christina Aguilera, Florence Welch, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, and Yolanda Adams. That same year, she was ranked 19th among the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time top artists.
When Rolling Stone listed the "Women in Rock: 50 Essential Albums" in 2002 and again in 2012, it listed Franklin's 1967 I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You×I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You10 March 1967 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Respect2:27A2Drown in My Own Tears4:06A3I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)2:45A4Soul Serenade2:37A5Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream2:19A6Baby, Baby, Baby2:54B1Dr. Feelgood3:21B2Good Times2:08B3Do Right Woman – Do Right Man3:17B4Save Me2:19B5A Change Is Gonna Come4:17 at number one. Inducted to the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012, Franklin was described as "the voice of the civil rights movement, the voice of black America". Asteroid 249516 Aretha was named in her honor in 2014. The next year, Billboard named her the greatest female R&B artist of all time. In 2018, Franklin was inducted in to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.
"American history wells up when Aretha sings", President Obama explained in response to her performance of "A Natural Woman" at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. "Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R&B, rock and roll—the way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope." Franklin later recalled the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors as one of the best nights of her life. On June 8, 2017, the City of Detroit honored Franklin's legacy by renaming a portion of Madison Street, between Brush and Witherell Streets, Aretha Franklin Way. The Aretha Franklin Post Office Building was named in 2021, and is located at 12711 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan.
Rolling Stone called Franklin "the greatest singer of her generation". In April 2021, Aretha Franklin was featured in National Geographic magazine and in the previous month, the society began airing the third season of the television series Genius about her life and career. After working with the artist for nearly four decades, Clive Davis, said that Aretha "understood the essence of both language and melody and was able to take it to a place very few—if any—could". According to National Geographic, "she was a musical genius unmatched in her range, power, and soul".

Honorary degrees

Franklin received honorary degrees from Harvard University and New York University in 2014, as well as honorary doctorates in music from Princeton University, 2012; Yale University, 2010; Brown University, 2009; the University of Pennsylvania, 2007; Berklee College of Music, 2006; the New England Conservatory of Music, 1997; and the University of Michigan, 1987. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Case Western Reserve University 2011 and Wayne State University in 1990 and an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Bethune–Cookman University in 1975.

Tributes

After Franklin's death, fans added unofficial tributes to two New York City Subway stations: the Franklin Street station in Manhattan, served by the 1 train, and the Franklin Avenue station in Brooklyn, served by the C​ and S trains. Both stations were originally named after other people. Although the fan tributes were later taken down, the subway system's operator, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, placed permanent black-and-white stickers with the word "Respect×RespectAlbum · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks1Respect2:132Think2:183Spanish Harlem3:324You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Women2:475I Say a Little Prayer3:356Son of a Preacher Man3:187I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)2:518Chain of Fools2:489Don't Play That Song3:0110Angel4:2911Rocksteady3:1412See Saw2:4513The House That Jack Built2:2114Oh No Not My Baby2:5315Until You Come Back to Me3:2716Good Times2:0817Since You've Been Gone2:2418You're All I Need to Get By3:3619Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing3:4920Do Right Woman - Do Right Man3:1521Share Your Love With Me3:2022Something He Can Feel6:1723Ain't No Way4:1524Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves4:15" next to the "Franklin" name signs in each station.
During the American Music Awards on October 9, 2018, the show was closed by bringing Gladys Knight, Donnie McClurkin, Ledisi, Cece Winans, and Mary Mary together to pay tribute to Aretha Franklin. The "all-star" group performed gospel songs, including renditions from Franklin's 1972 album, Amazing Grace×Amazing Grace1972 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Mary Don’t You Weep7:29A2Medley: Precious Lord, Take My Hand / You’ve Got a Friend5:34A3Old Landmark3:40A4Give Yourself to Jesus5:16B1How I Got Over4:22B2What a Friend We Have in Jesus6:03B3Amazing Grace10:45Disc 2C1Precious Memories7:20C2Climbing Higher Mountains2:32C3Remarks by Reverend C.L. Franklin1:56C4God Will Take Care of You8:48D1Wholy Holy5:30D2You’ll Never Walk Alone6:31D3Never Grow Old9:57.
A tribute concert, "Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul", was organized by CBS and the Recording Academy on January 13, 2019, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The concert included performances by Smokey Robinson, Janelle Monáe, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Alessia Cara, Patti LaBelle, Jennifer Hudson, Chloe x Halle, H.E.R., SZA, Brandi Carlile, Yolanda Adams and Shirley Caesar, and was recorded for television, airing on March 10.
At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, the ceremony was ended with a memorial tribute to the life and career of Franklin. The tribute concluded with a rendition of her 1968 hit, "A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)", performed by Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, Andra Day and Yolanda Adams.
In 2019, Time created 89 new covers to celebrate women of the year starting from 1920; it chose Franklin for 1968.
Rick Price wrote a tribute "Farewell But Not Goodbye" for his Soulville album released in 2021.
In June 2023, Aretha – A Love Letter to the Queen of Soul opened at Sydney Opera House before heading to Brisbane and Melbourne. Australian playwright, actor and screenwriter Jada Alberts directed and narrated the musical, which featured Emma Donovan, Montaigne, Thandi Phoenix, Thndo, and Ursula Yovich, along with a nine-piece band.

Portrayals in media

On January 29, 2018, Gary Graff confirmed that Jennifer Hudson would play Franklin in a biographical film. The film, Respect, was released in August 2021 in various countries. On February 10, 2019, it was announced that the subject of the third season of the American National Geographic anthology television series Genius would be Franklin, in the "first-ever, definitive scripted miniseries on the life of the universally acclaimed Queen of Soul". The season, starring Cynthia Erivo as Franklin, was aired in March 2021. However, Franklin's family denounced the series, claiming to be uninvolved with the production process, despite the production team stating that the series had been endorsed by the Franklin estate.
Franklin, as the "Queen of Soul×Queen of Soul1968 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1You Made Me Love You2:32A2Follow Your Heart2:24A3Love for Sale2:40A4I Surrender, Dear2:48A5Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home2:18B1What a Diff’rence a Day Made3:31B2I May Never Get to Heaven3:28B3I Apologize2:53B4It’s Just a Matter of Time2:58", is name-checked in the 1980 single "Hey Nineteen" by Steely Dan from their album Gaucho.