ARETHA FRANKLIN (1942 - 2018)

It is no exaggeration to say that the entire world is grieving over the loss of one of popular music’s greatest singers, Aretha Franklin, dubbed "the Queen of Soul" relativity early in her career, who passed away on August 16th at the age of seventy-six. It was apparent that she had not been well over the last few years but had declined to reveal any possible illness. It has since been stated that Franklin had been suffering from pancreatic cancer and had passed away from complications.

While the church was a very important part of her life as she was the daughter of Detroit minister C. L. Franklin and her first professional recordings were gospel music when she was a teenager, Franklin had interest in many genres of music. People were always aware of her magnificent gift as a vocalist and knew she was destined for greatness. Franklin first signed with Columbia Records in 1960 (which her father and manager at the time approved after turning down Berry Gordy and his Motown label as he felt it was not established long enough) and they tried to mold her like other popular singers of the day. And while she found some success at the label, it always seemed like she was unable to reach her full potential.

That would all change six years later when Franklin decided to leave Columbia and move to Atlantic Records which would allow her more creative control. Franklin was finally able to sing how she felt and record the songs how she wanted. And the public responded to her music in a major way. Franklin was an immediate success and would go throughout her amazing career to amass seventeen top-ten pop singles, twenty number-one r&b singles, eighteen Grammy Awards (including the first eight awards given in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance from 1968 to 1975), the first female inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, a Kennedy Center honoree in 1994, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, sold seventy-five million records worldwide and was ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the Number One Greatest Singer of All-Time.

Not only was Franklin a tremendously talented vocalist but was actively involved in the civil rights movement where she toured with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and would sing at his 1968 funeral. Franklin also sang at the U.S. Presidential inaugurations for Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Aretha was one of my all-time favorite singers. She could, and did, sing all kinds of music while making them clearly her own with her glorious voice filled with passion and fire. Aretha Franklin was truly an influential, one-of-a-kind artist who changed popular music forever. And in honor of this gifted performer, here are a few of my favorite musical moments by Ms Franklin: