Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin
Aretha Franklin is an American singer from Memphis, Tennessee active since 1956.
- Profession
- Singer, Songwriter, Pianist
- From
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Born
- March 25, 1942
- Years active
- 1956–2018
Early life
Born in Memphis and raised in Detroit as the daughter of a famous preacher, Aretha Franklin began singing gospel in her father's church and recorded her first album as a teenager.
Career
Her late-1960s Atlantic recordings — "Respect," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and "Chain of Fools" — made her the defining voice of soul and a symbol of empowerment.
Major achievements
She won eighteen Grammy Awards, was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Legacy
Crowned the "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin is one of the greatest singers in American history and an icon of the civil-rights era.
References
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