Aretha Franklin (Queen of Soul) 1942-2018

By The Nigerian Voice
Click for Full Image Size

Aretha Franklin, recognized as one of the leading song artists of all time with a repertoire that encompassed gospel, jazz, blues, R&B and pop standards, died on Thursday, August 16, 2018. The singer, who won 18 Grammy Awards and was universally hailed as the "Queen of Soul," was 76.

By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan
Queen of Soul

Hank Parker/Sony Archives
The daughter of a Baptist preacher famous for his fiery sermons, Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tenn., on March 25, 1942, but grew up primarily in Detroit where she sang in the church choir. With her father's encouragement and connections to the major gospel artists of the day, Aretha was making records by the age of 14.

Queen of Soul

Sony Archives
Aretha Franklin with record producer John Hammond. From his early years in the 1930s to his retirement from Columbia Records in 1975, Hammond was responsible not only for producing countless classic jazz recordings, radio programs and live concerts, but also introducing such major artists as Count Basie, Bob Dylan, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Robert Johnson, Pete Seeger, Bessie Smith and Bruce Springsteen. Hammond was also instrumental in helping to break the color barrier in music: He convinced Benny Goodman to integrate his band, and he helped bring black spiritual music to the attention of white audiences. When Hammond discovered Franklin - on a demo recording presented by a songwriter - he found whom he later called the greatest singer since Billie Holliday.

Queen of Soul

Sandy Speiser/Sony Archives
Aretha Franklin at a recording session for her 1962 album, "Laughing on the Outside."

Queen of Soul

Don Hunstein/Sony Archives
Left to right: Aretha Franklin is shown with Cissy Houston, Dee Dee Warwick, Judy Clay and Estelle Brown - members of the backup group Sweet Inspirations - in New York City, 1964.

Queen of Soul

Vernon L. Smith/Sony Archives
A promotional photo of Aretha Franklin.
Queen of Soul

Sony Archives
An undated photo of Aretha Franklin. Between 1961 and 1969, she recorded 10 albums with Columbia Records.

Queen of Soul

Hank Parker/Sony Archives
Aretha Franklin, c. 1965. One of her Columbia albums - "Yeah!! In Person With Her Quartet" - was marketed as a live performance but was actually a studio session with ambient sounds and applause added in the mix.

Queen of Soul

Sony Archive
An undated promotional photo of Aretha Franklin. Franklin worked with a series of producers at Columbia, which led to wide variations in recordings, arrangements and music selections.

Queen of Soul

Vernon L. Smith/Sony Archives
Aretha Franklin, c. 1967.
Queen of Soul

Sony Archive
An undated promotional photo of Aretha Franklin. At the end of her five-year contract the singer left Columbia for Atlantic Records in 1967, where she found greater success in the R&B genre. Columbia continued to release albums of previously-recorded material through 1969, some with new arrangements added to "sweeten" the sound. Franklin sued, claiming that altering the original recordings' arrangements had violated her contract, and she received an out-of-court settlement.

Queen of Soul

Atlantic
Aretha Franklin's first two Grammy Awards - for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - were for her 1967 recording of "Respect," from her first album for Atlantic, "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You." It was also her first platinum album.

Queen of Soul

AP
Aretha Franklin is shown at a news conference, March 26, 1973.

Queen of Soul

AP
Singer Aretha Franklin is shown at a news conference, March 26, 1973. She had won the Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance for her recording of "Amazing Grace."

Queen of Soul