Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 - August 16, 2018) was a Memphis, Tennessee born and Detroit, Michigan reared American iconic gospel, soul, and R&B singer, songwriter and pianist. Many have called her "The Queen Of Soul" and "Lady Soul".
She is renowned for her soul and R&B recordings (on many, of which, she accompanied herself on keyboards and piano, a skill she learned at an early age, learning to play by ear, according to lifetime friend Smokey Robinson) but was also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, and gospel. Read Full BioAretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 - August 16, 2018) was a Memphis, Tennessee born and Detroit, Michigan reared American iconic gospel, soul, and R&B singer, songwriter and pianist. Many have called her "The Queen Of Soul" and "Lady Soul".
She is renowned for her soul and R&B recordings (on many, of which, she accompanied herself on keyboards and piano, a skill she learned at an early age, learning to play by ear, according to lifetime friend Smokey Robinson) but was also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, and gospel.
She is generally regarded as one of the best vocalists ever by such industry publications and media outlets as Rolling Stone and VH1, due to her phenomenal technical and interpretative talents.
Adept at the piano as well as having a gifted voice, Franklin became a child prodigy. By the age of fourteen, she signed a record deal with Battle Records, where her father Reverend C.L. Franklin recorded his sermons and gospel vocal recordings, and she issued Songs of Faith in 1956.
She is the second most honored female popular singer in Grammy history (after Alison Krauss), having won eighteen competitive Grammys (including an unprecedented eleven for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, eight of them consecutive). The state of Michigan has declared her voice to be a natural wonder.
Franklin is perhaps best-known for her interpretation of Otis Redding's Respect, recorded in 1967 with sisters Carolyn Franklin and Erma Franklin. Many of her songs, however, were originals that have since been covered by other artists. Some of her best-known compositions include (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone, Ain't No Way, All the King's Horses, Baby, Baby, Baby, Call Me, Dr. Feelgood, Rock Steady, Spirit in the Dark, and Think (which she performed in the film The Blues Brothers).
On March 25, 1942, Aretha Louise Franklin was born at 406 Lucy Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, to Barbara (née Siggers) and Clarence LaVaughn "C. L." Franklin. Her father was a Baptist minister and circuit preacher originally from Shelby, Mississippi, while her mother was an accomplished piano player and vocalist. Her parents both had children, three in total, from outside their marriage. The family relocated to Buffalo, New York, when Aretha was two. Before her fifth birthday, in 1946, C. L. Franklin permanently relocated the family to Detroit, Michigan where he took over the pastorship of New Bethel Baptist Church. Aretha's parents had a troubled marriage due to stories of her father's philandering and in 1948, the couple separated, with Barbara relocating back to Buffalo with her son, Vaughn, from a previous relationship. Contrary to popular belief, her mother did not abandon her children; not only did Aretha recall seeing her mother in Buffalo during the summer, but Barbara also frequently visited her children in Detroit. Aretha's mother died of a heart attack on March 7, 1952, before Aretha's tenth birthday. The news of her mother's death was broken by her father, who had gathered Aretha and her siblings in the kitchen to tell them and that he "could not have been more understanding." 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.
Aretha's father's emotionally driven sermons resulted in his being known as the man with the "million-dollar voice" and earning thousands of dollars for sermons in various churches across the country. His celebrity status led to his home being visited by various celebrities, among them gospel musicians Clara Ward, James Cleveland and early Caravans members Albertina Walker and Inez Andrews as well as Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke. Ward was not only a visitor to the home, but was romantically involved with Aretha's father, though "she preferred to view them strictly as friends." Ward also served as a role model to the young Aretha. Franklin attended Northern High School but later dropped out during her sophomore year.
Music career
Beginnings (1952–1960)
Just after her mother's death, Franklin began singing solos at New Bethel, debuting with the hymn, "Jesus, Be a Fence Around Me." When Franklin was 12, her father began managing her, bringing her on the road with him during his so-called "gospel caravan" tours for her to perform in various churches. He helped his daughter sign her first recording deal with J.V.B. Records, where her first album, Songs of Faith, was released in 1956. Franklin sometimes traveled with The Soul Stirrers during this time. In 1958, Franklin and her father traveled to California, where she met Sam Cooke. At the age of 16, Franklin went on tour with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and in 1968 sang at his funeral.
As a young gospel singer, Franklin spent summers on the circuit in Chicago, staying with Mavis Staples' family. 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. 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. Franklin was signed 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 have his label, RCA, sign Franklin. He had also been courted by local record label owner Berry Gordy to sign Franklin and her elder sister Erma to his Tamla label. Franklin's father felt the label was not established enough yet. Franklin's first Columbia single, "Today I Sing the Blues", was issued in September 1960 and later reached the top ten of the Hot Rhythm & Blues Sellers chart.
Initial success (1961–1966)
In January 1961, Columbia issued Franklin's first secular album, Aretha: 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 top 40 single with her rendition of the standard, "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody", which also included the R&B hit, "Operation Heartbreak", on its b-side. "Rock-a-Bye" became her first international hit, reaching the top 40 in Australia and Canada. 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 and The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin, the latter of which reached No. 69 on the Billboard chart.
In the 1960s during a performance at the Regal Theater, a WVON radio personality announced Franklin should be crowned, "the Queen of Soul". By 1964, Franklin began recording more pop music, reaching the top ten 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 netting $100,000 from countless performances in nightclubs and theaters. 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.
Commercial success (1967–1979)
In November 1966, after six years with Columbia, Franklin chose not to renew her contract with the company and signed to Atlantic Records. In January 1967, she traveled to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record at FAME Studios and recorded the song, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", backed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Franklin only spent one day recording at FAME, as an altercation broke out between 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. In April, Atlantic issued her frenetic version of Otis Redding's "Respect", which shot to 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.
Franklin's debut Atlantic album, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, also became commercially successful, later going gold. Franklin scored two more top-ten singles in 1967, including "Baby I Love You" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". Her rapport with producer Jerry Wexler helped in the creation of the majority of Franklin's peak recordings with Atlantic. In 1968, she issued the top-selling albums Lady Soul and Aretha Now, which included some of Franklin's most popular hit singles, including "Chain of Fools", "Ain't No Way", "Think" 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 just two months before his death. Franklin toured outside the US for the first time in May, including an appearance at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam where she played to a near hysterical audience who covered the stage with flower petals. She appeared on the cover of Time magazine in June.
Franklin's success expanded during the early 1970s, during which she recorded top-ten singles such as "Spanish Harlem", "Rock Steady" and "Day Dreaming" as well as the acclaimed albums Spirit in the Dark, Young, Gifted and Black, and her gospel album, Amazing Grace, which sold more than two million copies. 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. 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 with Curtis Mayfield. The album yielded Franklin's final top 40 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 (1977), Almighty Fire (1978) and La Diva (1979), bombed on the charts, and in 1979 Franklin opted to leave the company.
Later years (1979–2018)
In 1980, after leaving Atlantic Records,[48] Franklin signed with Clive Davis's Arista Records and that same year gave a command performance at London's Royal Albert Hall in front of Queen Elizabeth. Franklin also had an acclaimed guest role as a waitress in the 1980 comedy musical The Blues Brothers.[49][50] Franklin's first Arista album, Aretha (1980), featured the No. 3 R&B hit "United Together" and her Grammy-nominated cover of Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose". The follow-up, 1981's Love All the Hurt Away, included her famed duet of the title track with George Benson, while the album also included her Grammy-winning cover of Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'". Franklin achieved a gold record—for the first time in seven years—with the 1982 album Jump to It. The album's title track was her first top-40 single on the pop charts in six years.
In 1985, inspired by a desire to have a "younger sound" in her music, Who's Zoomin' Who? became her first Arista album to be certified platinum. The album sold well over a million copies thanks to the hits "Freeway of Love", the title track, and "Another Night". The following year's Aretha album nearly matched this success with the hit singles "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Jimmy Lee" and "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me", her international number-one duet with George Michael. During that period, Franklin provided vocals to the theme songs of the TV shows A Different World and Together. In 1987, she issued her third gospel album, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, which was recorded at her late father's New Bethel church, followed by Through the Storm in 1989. Franklin's 1991 album, What You See is What You Sweat, flopped on the charts. She returned to the charts in 1993 with the dance song "A Deeper Love" and returned to the top 40 with the song "Willing to Forgive" in 1994.
In 1998, Franklin returned to the top 40 with the Lauryn Hill-produced song "A Rose Is Still a Rose", later issuing the album of the same name, which went gold. That same year, Franklin earned international acclaim for her performance of "Nessun dorma" at the Grammy Awards, filling in at the last minute for Luciano Pavarotti, who had cancelled after the show had already begun. Her final Arista album, So Damn Happy, was released in 2003 and featured the Grammy-winning song "Wonderful". 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. The following year, she issued the holiday album This Christmas, Aretha, on DMI Records.
Franklin performed The Star-Spangled Banner with Aaron Neville and Dr. John for Super Bowl XL, held in her hometown of Detroit in February 2006. She later 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.
In 2014, Franklin was signed under RCA Records, controller of the Arista catalog and a sister label to Columbia via Sony Music Entertainment, and was working with Clive Davis. An album was planned with producers Babyface and Danger Mouse. 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.
Franklin, waiting to perform at the White House in 2015
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 bridge of the song, Franklin dropped her fur coat to the stage, for which the audience rewarded her with a mid-performance standing ovation. 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 improvizations. Franklin released the album A Brand New Me in November 2017 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which uses archived recordings from her past. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Top Classical Albums chart.
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 due to "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. Describing Franklin's voice as a youngster on her first album, Songs of Faith, 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".
Personal life
After being raised in Detroit, Franklin relocated to New York City in the 1960s, where she lived until moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. She eventually settled in Encino, Los Angeles where she lived until 1982. She then returned to the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 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 the mother of four sons. She first became pregnant at the age of 12 and gave birth to her first child, named Clarence after her father, on January 28, 1955. According to the news site Inquisitr, "The father of the child was Donald Burk, a boy she knew from school." On January 22, 1957, then aged 14, Franklin had a second child, named Edward after his father Edward Jordan. Franklin did not like to discuss her early pregnancies with interviewers.
Both children took her family name. While Franklin was pursuing her career and "hanging out with [friends]", Franklin's grandmother Rachel and sister Erma took turns raising the children. Franklin would visit them often. Franklin's third child, Ted White Jr., was born in February 1964 and is known professionally as Teddy Richards. He has provided guitar backing for his mother's band during live concerts. Her youngest son, Kecalf Cunningham was born in 1970 and is the child of her road manager Ken Cunningham.
Franklin was married twice. Her first husband was Theodore "Ted" White, whom she married in 1961 at age 19. Franklin had actually seen White the first time at a party held at her house in 1954. After a contentious marriage that involved domestic violence, Franklin separated from White in 1968, divorcing him in 1969. Franklin then married her second husband, actor Glynn Turman, on April 11, 1978 at her father's church. By marrying Turman, Franklin became stepmother of Turman's three children from a previous marriage. Franklin and Turman separated in 1982 after Franklin returned to Michigan from California, and they divorced in 1984. At one point, Franklin had plans to marry her longtime companion Willie Wilkerson. Franklin and Wilkerson had had two previous engagements stretching back to 1988. Franklin eventually called the 2012 engagement off. Franklin's sisters, Erma and Carolyn, were professional musicians as well 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. Sister Carolyn died the previous year in April 1988 from breast cancer, while eldest sister Erma died from throat cancer in September 2002. Franklin's step-brother Vaughn died two months after Erma in late 2002. Her half-sister, Carl Kelley (née Jennings; born 1940) is C. L. Franklin's daughter by Mildred Jennings, a then 12-year-old congregant of New Salem Baptist Church in Memphis, where C. L. was pastor.
Franklin was performing at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, on June 10, 1979, when her father, C. L., was shot twice at point blank range in his Detroit home.[92] After six months at Henry Ford Hospital, still in a state of coma, C.L. was moved back to his home with 24-hour nursing care. Aretha moved back to Detroit in late 1982 to assist with the care of her father, who died at Detroit's New Light Nursing Home on July 27, 1984.[93] Some of her music business friends have included Dionne Warwick, Mavis Staples, and Cissy Houston, who began singing with Franklin as members of the Sweet Inspirations. Cissy sang background on Franklin's hit "Ain't No Way". Franklin first met Cissy's daughter, Whitney, in the early 1970s. She was made Whitney's honorary aunt, not a godmother as has been occasionally misreported, and Whitney often referred to her as "Auntie Ree".
When Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012, Franklin said she was surprised by her death. She had initially planned to perform at Houston's memorial service on February 18, but her representative claimed that Franklin suffered a leg spasm and was unable to attend. In response to criticism of her non-attendance, she stated, "God knows I wanted to be there, but I couldn't."
Franklin was a registered Democrat.
Health problems
Franklin dealt with weight issues for years. In 1974, she dropped 40 pounds (18 kg) during a crash diet and maintained her new weight until the end of the decade.[100] 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, after she decided 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 rumored. On May 19, 2011, Franklin had her comeback show in the Chicago Theatre. In May 2013, she canceled two performances to deal with an undisclosed medical treatment. Later the same month, she canceled three June concerts and planned to return to perform in July. A show scheduled for July 27 in Clarkston, Michigan was canceled due to continued medical treatment. In addition, she canceled an appearance at a Major League Baseball luncheon in Chicago honoring her commitment to civil rights on August 24. She also canceled a performance of September 21 in Atlanta due to her health recovery. During a phone interview with the Associated Press in late August 2013, Franklin stated that she 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 2017, Franklin canceled a series of concerts due to health reasons. During an outdoor Detroit show, she asked the audience to "keep me in your prayers". In July 2017, Franklin reemerged, appearing to have lost more weight before a performance at the Wolf Trap in Virginia. In 2018, she canceled a series of shows, citing doctor's orders. Franklin's final performance was at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City during Elton John's 25th anniversary gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation on November 7, 2017.
Final illness and death
On August 13, 2018, Franklin was reported to be gravely ill at her home in Riverfront Towers, Detroit. She was reported to be under hospice care and surrounded by friends and family. Stevie Wonder, Jesse Jackson, and ex-husband Glynn Turman, among others, visited her on her deathbed. Franklin died at her home on August 16, 2018, aged 76. The cause was reported to be 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 private funeral was arranged for August 31, following a two-day public viewing of Franklin's casket at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.
Legacy and honors
Franklin wipes a tear after being given the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 9, 2005, at the White House. She is seated between fellow recipients Robert Conquest (left) and Alan Greenspan.
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. 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, and was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. She was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2005.
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. 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, and ranked first on the Rolling Stone list of Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2013, she was again ranked first in Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Singers" list. 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" and a "symbol of black equality". Asteroid 249516 Aretha was named in her honor in 2014.
"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". 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". On January 29, 2018, The Oakland Press′s correspondent Gary Graff confirmed that the American Idol runner-up Jennifer Hudson will take the role to play Franklin in her coming biopic. The news was announced by the film's executive producer Clive Davis, who made public their decision on the choice of actors casting in the film two days before Graff's article was published. An all-star tribute concert to Franklin, celebrating her music, is scheduled for November 14, 2018, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Honorary degrees
Franklin received an honorary degree from Harvard University in 2014, as well as honorary doctorates in music from Princeton University, 2012; Yale University, 2010; Brown University, 2009; University of Pennsylvania, 2007; Berklee College of Music, 2006; New England Conservatory of Music, 1997; and University of Michigan, 1987. Franklin was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Wayne State University in 1990 and an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Bethune–Cookman University in 1975.
She is renowned for her soul and R&B recordings (on many, of which, she accompanied herself on keyboards and piano, a skill she learned at an early age, learning to play by ear, according to lifetime friend Smokey Robinson) but was also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, and gospel. Read Full BioAretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 - August 16, 2018) was a Memphis, Tennessee born and Detroit, Michigan reared American iconic gospel, soul, and R&B singer, songwriter and pianist. Many have called her "The Queen Of Soul" and "Lady Soul".
She is renowned for her soul and R&B recordings (on many, of which, she accompanied herself on keyboards and piano, a skill she learned at an early age, learning to play by ear, according to lifetime friend Smokey Robinson) but was also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, and gospel.
She is generally regarded as one of the best vocalists ever by such industry publications and media outlets as Rolling Stone and VH1, due to her phenomenal technical and interpretative talents.
Adept at the piano as well as having a gifted voice, Franklin became a child prodigy. By the age of fourteen, she signed a record deal with Battle Records, where her father Reverend C.L. Franklin recorded his sermons and gospel vocal recordings, and she issued Songs of Faith in 1956.
She is the second most honored female popular singer in Grammy history (after Alison Krauss), having won eighteen competitive Grammys (including an unprecedented eleven for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, eight of them consecutive). The state of Michigan has declared her voice to be a natural wonder.
Franklin is perhaps best-known for her interpretation of Otis Redding's Respect, recorded in 1967 with sisters Carolyn Franklin and Erma Franklin. Many of her songs, however, were originals that have since been covered by other artists. Some of her best-known compositions include (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone, Ain't No Way, All the King's Horses, Baby, Baby, Baby, Call Me, Dr. Feelgood, Rock Steady, Spirit in the Dark, and Think (which she performed in the film The Blues Brothers).
On March 25, 1942, Aretha Louise Franklin was born at 406 Lucy Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, to Barbara (née Siggers) and Clarence LaVaughn "C. L." Franklin. Her father was a Baptist minister and circuit preacher originally from Shelby, Mississippi, while her mother was an accomplished piano player and vocalist. Her parents both had children, three in total, from outside their marriage. The family relocated to Buffalo, New York, when Aretha was two. Before her fifth birthday, in 1946, C. L. Franklin permanently relocated the family to Detroit, Michigan where he took over the pastorship of New Bethel Baptist Church. Aretha's parents had a troubled marriage due to stories of her father's philandering and in 1948, the couple separated, with Barbara relocating back to Buffalo with her son, Vaughn, from a previous relationship. Contrary to popular belief, her mother did not abandon her children; not only did Aretha recall seeing her mother in Buffalo during the summer, but Barbara also frequently visited her children in Detroit. Aretha's mother died of a heart attack on March 7, 1952, before Aretha's tenth birthday. The news of her mother's death was broken by her father, who had gathered Aretha and her siblings in the kitchen to tell them and that he "could not have been more understanding." 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.
Aretha's father's emotionally driven sermons resulted in his being known as the man with the "million-dollar voice" and earning thousands of dollars for sermons in various churches across the country. His celebrity status led to his home being visited by various celebrities, among them gospel musicians Clara Ward, James Cleveland and early Caravans members Albertina Walker and Inez Andrews as well as Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke. Ward was not only a visitor to the home, but was romantically involved with Aretha's father, though "she preferred to view them strictly as friends." Ward also served as a role model to the young Aretha. Franklin attended Northern High School but later dropped out during her sophomore year.
Music career
Beginnings (1952–1960)
Just after her mother's death, Franklin began singing solos at New Bethel, debuting with the hymn, "Jesus, Be a Fence Around Me." When Franklin was 12, her father began managing her, bringing her on the road with him during his so-called "gospel caravan" tours for her to perform in various churches. He helped his daughter sign her first recording deal with J.V.B. Records, where her first album, Songs of Faith, was released in 1956. Franklin sometimes traveled with The Soul Stirrers during this time. In 1958, Franklin and her father traveled to California, where she met Sam Cooke. At the age of 16, Franklin went on tour with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and in 1968 sang at his funeral.
As a young gospel singer, Franklin spent summers on the circuit in Chicago, staying with Mavis Staples' family. 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. 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. Franklin was signed 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 have his label, RCA, sign Franklin. He had also been courted by local record label owner Berry Gordy to sign Franklin and her elder sister Erma to his Tamla label. Franklin's father felt the label was not established enough yet. Franklin's first Columbia single, "Today I Sing the Blues", was issued in September 1960 and later reached the top ten of the Hot Rhythm & Blues Sellers chart.
Initial success (1961–1966)
In January 1961, Columbia issued Franklin's first secular album, Aretha: 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 top 40 single with her rendition of the standard, "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody", which also included the R&B hit, "Operation Heartbreak", on its b-side. "Rock-a-Bye" became her first international hit, reaching the top 40 in Australia and Canada. 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 and The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin, the latter of which reached No. 69 on the Billboard chart.
In the 1960s during a performance at the Regal Theater, a WVON radio personality announced Franklin should be crowned, "the Queen of Soul". By 1964, Franklin began recording more pop music, reaching the top ten 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 netting $100,000 from countless performances in nightclubs and theaters. 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.
Commercial success (1967–1979)
In November 1966, after six years with Columbia, Franklin chose not to renew her contract with the company and signed to Atlantic Records. In January 1967, she traveled to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record at FAME Studios and recorded the song, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", backed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Franklin only spent one day recording at FAME, as an altercation broke out between 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. In April, Atlantic issued her frenetic version of Otis Redding's "Respect", which shot to 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.
Franklin's debut Atlantic album, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, also became commercially successful, later going gold. Franklin scored two more top-ten singles in 1967, including "Baby I Love You" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". Her rapport with producer Jerry Wexler helped in the creation of the majority of Franklin's peak recordings with Atlantic. In 1968, she issued the top-selling albums Lady Soul and Aretha Now, which included some of Franklin's most popular hit singles, including "Chain of Fools", "Ain't No Way", "Think" 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 just two months before his death. Franklin toured outside the US for the first time in May, including an appearance at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam where she played to a near hysterical audience who covered the stage with flower petals. She appeared on the cover of Time magazine in June.
Franklin's success expanded during the early 1970s, during which she recorded top-ten singles such as "Spanish Harlem", "Rock Steady" and "Day Dreaming" as well as the acclaimed albums Spirit in the Dark, Young, Gifted and Black, and her gospel album, Amazing Grace, which sold more than two million copies. 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. 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 with Curtis Mayfield. The album yielded Franklin's final top 40 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 (1977), Almighty Fire (1978) and La Diva (1979), bombed on the charts, and in 1979 Franklin opted to leave the company.
Later years (1979–2018)
In 1980, after leaving Atlantic Records,[48] Franklin signed with Clive Davis's Arista Records and that same year gave a command performance at London's Royal Albert Hall in front of Queen Elizabeth. Franklin also had an acclaimed guest role as a waitress in the 1980 comedy musical The Blues Brothers.[49][50] Franklin's first Arista album, Aretha (1980), featured the No. 3 R&B hit "United Together" and her Grammy-nominated cover of Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose". The follow-up, 1981's Love All the Hurt Away, included her famed duet of the title track with George Benson, while the album also included her Grammy-winning cover of Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'". Franklin achieved a gold record—for the first time in seven years—with the 1982 album Jump to It. The album's title track was her first top-40 single on the pop charts in six years.
In 1985, inspired by a desire to have a "younger sound" in her music, Who's Zoomin' Who? became her first Arista album to be certified platinum. The album sold well over a million copies thanks to the hits "Freeway of Love", the title track, and "Another Night". The following year's Aretha album nearly matched this success with the hit singles "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Jimmy Lee" and "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me", her international number-one duet with George Michael. During that period, Franklin provided vocals to the theme songs of the TV shows A Different World and Together. In 1987, she issued her third gospel album, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, which was recorded at her late father's New Bethel church, followed by Through the Storm in 1989. Franklin's 1991 album, What You See is What You Sweat, flopped on the charts. She returned to the charts in 1993 with the dance song "A Deeper Love" and returned to the top 40 with the song "Willing to Forgive" in 1994.
In 1998, Franklin returned to the top 40 with the Lauryn Hill-produced song "A Rose Is Still a Rose", later issuing the album of the same name, which went gold. That same year, Franklin earned international acclaim for her performance of "Nessun dorma" at the Grammy Awards, filling in at the last minute for Luciano Pavarotti, who had cancelled after the show had already begun. Her final Arista album, So Damn Happy, was released in 2003 and featured the Grammy-winning song "Wonderful". 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. The following year, she issued the holiday album This Christmas, Aretha, on DMI Records.
Franklin performed The Star-Spangled Banner with Aaron Neville and Dr. John for Super Bowl XL, held in her hometown of Detroit in February 2006. She later 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.
In 2014, Franklin was signed under RCA Records, controller of the Arista catalog and a sister label to Columbia via Sony Music Entertainment, and was working with Clive Davis. An album was planned with producers Babyface and Danger Mouse. 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.
Franklin, waiting to perform at the White House in 2015
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 bridge of the song, Franklin dropped her fur coat to the stage, for which the audience rewarded her with a mid-performance standing ovation. 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 improvizations. Franklin released the album A Brand New Me in November 2017 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which uses archived recordings from her past. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Top Classical Albums chart.
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 due to "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. Describing Franklin's voice as a youngster on her first album, Songs of Faith, 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".
Personal life
After being raised in Detroit, Franklin relocated to New York City in the 1960s, where she lived until moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. She eventually settled in Encino, Los Angeles where she lived until 1982. She then returned to the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 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 the mother of four sons. She first became pregnant at the age of 12 and gave birth to her first child, named Clarence after her father, on January 28, 1955. According to the news site Inquisitr, "The father of the child was Donald Burk, a boy she knew from school." On January 22, 1957, then aged 14, Franklin had a second child, named Edward after his father Edward Jordan. Franklin did not like to discuss her early pregnancies with interviewers.
Both children took her family name. While Franklin was pursuing her career and "hanging out with [friends]", Franklin's grandmother Rachel and sister Erma took turns raising the children. Franklin would visit them often. Franklin's third child, Ted White Jr., was born in February 1964 and is known professionally as Teddy Richards. He has provided guitar backing for his mother's band during live concerts. Her youngest son, Kecalf Cunningham was born in 1970 and is the child of her road manager Ken Cunningham.
Franklin was married twice. Her first husband was Theodore "Ted" White, whom she married in 1961 at age 19. Franklin had actually seen White the first time at a party held at her house in 1954. After a contentious marriage that involved domestic violence, Franklin separated from White in 1968, divorcing him in 1969. Franklin then married her second husband, actor Glynn Turman, on April 11, 1978 at her father's church. By marrying Turman, Franklin became stepmother of Turman's three children from a previous marriage. Franklin and Turman separated in 1982 after Franklin returned to Michigan from California, and they divorced in 1984. At one point, Franklin had plans to marry her longtime companion Willie Wilkerson. Franklin and Wilkerson had had two previous engagements stretching back to 1988. Franklin eventually called the 2012 engagement off. Franklin's sisters, Erma and Carolyn, were professional musicians as well 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. Sister Carolyn died the previous year in April 1988 from breast cancer, while eldest sister Erma died from throat cancer in September 2002. Franklin's step-brother Vaughn died two months after Erma in late 2002. Her half-sister, Carl Kelley (née Jennings; born 1940) is C. L. Franklin's daughter by Mildred Jennings, a then 12-year-old congregant of New Salem Baptist Church in Memphis, where C. L. was pastor.
Franklin was performing at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, on June 10, 1979, when her father, C. L., was shot twice at point blank range in his Detroit home.[92] After six months at Henry Ford Hospital, still in a state of coma, C.L. was moved back to his home with 24-hour nursing care. Aretha moved back to Detroit in late 1982 to assist with the care of her father, who died at Detroit's New Light Nursing Home on July 27, 1984.[93] Some of her music business friends have included Dionne Warwick, Mavis Staples, and Cissy Houston, who began singing with Franklin as members of the Sweet Inspirations. Cissy sang background on Franklin's hit "Ain't No Way". Franklin first met Cissy's daughter, Whitney, in the early 1970s. She was made Whitney's honorary aunt, not a godmother as has been occasionally misreported, and Whitney often referred to her as "Auntie Ree".
When Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012, Franklin said she was surprised by her death. She had initially planned to perform at Houston's memorial service on February 18, but her representative claimed that Franklin suffered a leg spasm and was unable to attend. In response to criticism of her non-attendance, she stated, "God knows I wanted to be there, but I couldn't."
Franklin was a registered Democrat.
Health problems
Franklin dealt with weight issues for years. In 1974, she dropped 40 pounds (18 kg) during a crash diet and maintained her new weight until the end of the decade.[100] 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, after she decided 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 rumored. On May 19, 2011, Franklin had her comeback show in the Chicago Theatre. In May 2013, she canceled two performances to deal with an undisclosed medical treatment. Later the same month, she canceled three June concerts and planned to return to perform in July. A show scheduled for July 27 in Clarkston, Michigan was canceled due to continued medical treatment. In addition, she canceled an appearance at a Major League Baseball luncheon in Chicago honoring her commitment to civil rights on August 24. She also canceled a performance of September 21 in Atlanta due to her health recovery. During a phone interview with the Associated Press in late August 2013, Franklin stated that she 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 2017, Franklin canceled a series of concerts due to health reasons. During an outdoor Detroit show, she asked the audience to "keep me in your prayers". In July 2017, Franklin reemerged, appearing to have lost more weight before a performance at the Wolf Trap in Virginia. In 2018, she canceled a series of shows, citing doctor's orders. Franklin's final performance was at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City during Elton John's 25th anniversary gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation on November 7, 2017.
Final illness and death
On August 13, 2018, Franklin was reported to be gravely ill at her home in Riverfront Towers, Detroit. She was reported to be under hospice care and surrounded by friends and family. Stevie Wonder, Jesse Jackson, and ex-husband Glynn Turman, among others, visited her on her deathbed. Franklin died at her home on August 16, 2018, aged 76. The cause was reported to be 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 private funeral was arranged for August 31, following a two-day public viewing of Franklin's casket at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.
Legacy and honors
Franklin wipes a tear after being given the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 9, 2005, at the White House. She is seated between fellow recipients Robert Conquest (left) and Alan Greenspan.
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. 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, and was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. She was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2005.
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. 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, and ranked first on the Rolling Stone list of Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2013, she was again ranked first in Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Singers" list. 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" and a "symbol of black equality". Asteroid 249516 Aretha was named in her honor in 2014.
"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". 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". On January 29, 2018, The Oakland Press′s correspondent Gary Graff confirmed that the American Idol runner-up Jennifer Hudson will take the role to play Franklin in her coming biopic. The news was announced by the film's executive producer Clive Davis, who made public their decision on the choice of actors casting in the film two days before Graff's article was published. An all-star tribute concert to Franklin, celebrating her music, is scheduled for November 14, 2018, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Honorary degrees
Franklin received an honorary degree from Harvard University in 2014, as well as honorary doctorates in music from Princeton University, 2012; Yale University, 2010; Brown University, 2009; University of Pennsylvania, 2007; Berklee College of Music, 2006; New England Conservatory of Music, 1997; and University of Michigan, 1987. Franklin was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Wayne State University in 1990 and an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Bethune–Cookman University in 1975.
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Aretha Franklin Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Aretha Franklin:
"Rock Steady" Rock steady, baby That's what I feel now Just call the son…
"Wholy holy" Ah, wholy holy Come together Wholy holy People got to com…
'Twas The Night Before Christmas Twas the night before Christmas When all through the house N…
(Ah, the Apple Trees) When the World Was Young They call me coquette, and mademoiselle, And I must admit I…
(It's Just) Your Love (Live) I got your love It's all that I got I got your…
(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone Aretha Franklin Miscellaneous Sweet Sweet Baby Since You've …
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman Looking out on the morning rain I used to feel so…
*Walk On By If you see me walking down the street And I start…
- Think You better think (think) Think about what you're trying to…
02. I Say A Little Prayer The moment I wake up Before I put on my makeup I…
04 Dr. Feelgood I don't want nobody Always Sittin' around me and my man I…
04. Chain of Fools Chain, chain, chain (Chain, chain, chain) Chain, chain, ch…
05 Don t Let Me Lose This Dream If I lose this dream (this dream) I don't know what…
06. a natural woman Looking out on the morning rain I used to feel so…
07. Chain of fools Chain, chain, chain (Chain, chain, chain) Chain, chain, ch…
08 Call Me I love you (I love you) And I love you (I…
10 Take me to heart And I'll always love you And nobody can…
10-You'll Lose A Good Thing If you should lose me, (oh yeah)you'll lose a good…
13) The House That Jack Built This is the house that Jack built, y'all Remember this hous…
13. I say a little prayer The moment I wake up Before I put on my makeup I…
14 Do Right Woman Do Right Man Take me to heart And I'll always love you And nobody can…
14) See Saw Sometimes you love me like a good man oughta Sometimes you…
14. Eleanor Rigby I'm Eleanor Rigby, I picked up the rice In the church…
14. See saw Sometimes you love me like a good man oughta Sometimes you…
15. Share Your Love With Me It's an evil wind that blows no good, yeah It's a…
17) Eleanor Rigby I'm Eleanor Rigby, I picked up the rice In the church…
17.I will Survive At first I was afraid, I was petrified Kept thinking I…
45 Baby I Love You If you want my lovin' If you really do Don't be afraid…
96 Tears Too many teardrops for one heart to be cryin' (I…
A Brand New Me This is my same old coat These are my same…
A chance is gonna come There's an old friend that I once heard say Something that…
A Change I'm looking for a love maker I ain't looking for no…
A Change Is Gonna Come There's an old friend that I once heard say Something that t…
A Deeper Love (Pride) a deeper love (Pride) a deeper love (Pride) a deep…
A House Is Not a Home A chair is still a chair Even when there's no one…
A Little Bit of Soul Every little bit hurts Every little bit hurts Every night I…
A Natural Looking out on the morning rain I used to feel so…
A Natural Woman Looking out on the morning rain I used to feel so…
A Natural Woman 72 Looking out on the morning rain I used to feel so…
A Rose Is Still A Rose Doo doo doo doo doo doo mmm Dooby dooby doo doo…
A Song for You I've been so many places in my life and time I've…
A Summer Place There's a summer place Where it may rain or storm Yet I'm…
A. Precious Lord Take My Hand B. You've Got A Friend When you're down and troubled And you need a helping hand …
Ac-cen-tchu-ate the Positive You've got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negativ…
Ain Ain't no way For me to love you If you won't let…
Ain't No Way (Mono Single Vers Ain't no way for me to love you If you won't…
Ain't Nobody Girl, who is that institution over there? Hey, hey, hey, hey…
Ain't Nobody Gonna Turn Me Around Ain't nobody gonna turn me around no more Ain't nobody gonn…
Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing There ain't nothing Like the real thing, baby There ain't no…
aint no sunshine Ain't no way For me to love you If you won't let…
All Night Long Yeah, come on and let the good times roll We're gonna…
All Night Long - Remastered Yeah, come on and let the good times roll We're gonna…
All of These Things (All of these things I want to be All of these…
All the King's Horses All the king's horses And all the king's men Couldn't put…
All The King`s Horses All the king's horses And all the king's men Couldn't put…
Amazing Grace Amazing grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like…
An Angel Cries She cries When a heart needs healing, oh, who do you…
Angel I got a call the other day It was my sister…
Angels We Have Heard On High Angels we have heard on high Sweetly singing o'er the plain …
Another Night Uh Check this out All my friends have to ask if I'm…
April Fools April fools, April fools April fools, April fools April fo…
are you shure Are you sure your prayers Haven't been answered? Now, thin…
Are You Sure (Remastered) Are you sure your prayers Haven't been answered? Now, think …
Are You Sure? Are you sure your prayers Haven't been answered? Now, thin…
Aretha Franklin- You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Women Looking out on the morning rain I used to feel so…
As Long As You Are There There’ve been a few loves in my live But none who…
At Last At last my love has come along My lonely days are…
Ave Maria Ave Maria, maiden mild Oh, listen to a maiden's prayer For…
Baby Baby, baby, baby, this is just to say How much I'm…
Baby Baby Baby Baby, baby, baby, this is just to say How much I'm…
Baby I Love You If you want my lovin' If you really do Don't be afraid…
Better Friends Than Lovers Oh Why are we fighting Why do we scream Seems all we do…
Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home Won't you come home, Bill Bailey, won't you come home I…
Blue Holiday It's been a blue holiday since you've been gone Oh my…
Blues Brothers You better think (think) Think about what you're trying to…
Bonus Selection: Since You've Been Gone Baby baby, sweet baby There's something that I just got to…
Border Song Holy Moses, I have been removed I have seen the specter,…
Border Song (Holy Moses) Holy Moses, I have been removed I have seen the spectre,…
Break It to Me Gently It was so easy baby, you made it so easy,…
Bridge Over Troubled Water (Don't trouble the water) I won't (leave it alone) (Why don'…
Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Don't trouble the water) I won't (leave it alone) (Why do…
Bring It On Home To Me If you ever change your mind About leavin', about leavin' me…
But Beautiful Love is funny or it's sad, Or it's quiet or…
by Myself Feeling mighty blue By myself One ol' lonesome shoe By mysel…
Call Me I say I'll move the mountains And I'll move the mountains If…
Can't You Just See Me Can't you just see me With my head in the air The…
Chain of Fools Chain, chain, chain (Chain, chain, chain) Chain, chain, chai…
Chain of Fools (Unedited Versi Oh it's the sound Of a worried, a worried man Ha ha…
Chain Of Fools ft. Mariah Carey Chain, chain, chain (Chain, chain, chain) Chain, chain, ch…
CHAIN OF FOOLS* Chain, chain, chain (Chain, chain, chain) Chain, chain, chai…
Change I'm looking for a love maker I ain't looking for no…
Change Is Gonna Come There's an old friend that I once heard say Something that t…
Christmas Ain't Christmas Christmas Just ain't Christmas Without the one you love New …
Climbing Higher Mountains I'm climbing I'm climbing Higher mountains Higher mountains …
Cold I tried so hard, my dear, to show That you're…
Come Back Baby Oh come back, baby Baby please don't go, yeah 'Cause the way…
Come To Me You're asking me to Understand your feelings To just forge…
Crazy He Calls Me I say I'll move the mountains And I'll move the mountains If…
Cry Like A Baby Nobody knows except my pillow at night All through the day…
Dark End Of The Street At the dark end of the street That's where we…
Day Dreaming Daydreamin' and I'm thinkin' of you Daydreamin' and I'm thin…
Day Dreaming-LLF Day dreamin' and I'm thinkin' of you Day dreamin' and I'm…
Deeper Pride a deeper love Pride a deeper love Pride a deeper love …
Deeper Love A (Pride) a deeper love (Pride) a deeper love (Pride) a deep…
Didn't I I gave my heart and soul to you, boy Didn't I…
Do Right Woman Do Right Man Take me to heart And I'll always love you And nobody can…
Do Right Woman Do Right Man Take me to heart And I'll always love you And nobody can…
Do Right Woman-Do Right Man Take me to heart And I'll always love you And nobody can…
Do Right Women Do Right Man Take me to heart and I'll always love you And nobody…
Do Rigt Woman Do right Man Take me to heart And I'll always love you And nobody can…
Do You Still Remember Here in my book of memories Each page remembers you and…
Doctor I don't want nobody Always Sittin' around me and my man I do…
Doctor's Orders Hoppin', hoppin' till I'm energized 'Cause I got something …
Don Don't cry, don't cry baby Don't cry baby Dry your eyes, an…
Don' t Let Me Lose This Dream If I lose this dream (this dream) I don't know what…
Don't Don't cry, don't cry baby Don't cry baby Dry your eyes, an…
Don't Be Breaking My Heart Don't go breaking my heart I couldn't if I tried Honey if…
Don't Cry Baby Don't cry, don't cry baby Don't cry baby Dry your eyes, and…
Don't Cry, Baby Don't cry, baby, don't cry, sugar Dry your eyes And let's be…
Don't Go Breakin My Heart Don't go breaking my heart I couldn't if I tried Honey if…
Don't Let Me Lose If I lose this dream (this dream) I don't know what…
Don't Let Me Lose This Dream If I lose this dream (this dream) I don't know what…
Don't Play That Song Don't play that song for me 'Cause it brings back memories T…
Don't Play That Song (You Lied Don't play that song for me 'Cause it brings back memories …
Don't Play That Song (You Lied) Don't play that song for me 'Cuz it brings back memories Old…
Don't Waste Your Time Lately I've got this funny feeling Something don't feel the…
Don`t Play That Song Don't play that song for me 'Cause it brings back memories …
Don´t Go Breaking My Heart Don't go breaking my heart I couldn't if I tried Honey if…
Dr. Feelgood I don't want nobody Always Sittin' around me and my man I do…
Dr. Feelgood (Love Is A Serio I don't want nobody Always sittin' around me and my man I…
Dr. Feelgood (Love Is a Serious Business) I don't want nobody, always Sittin' around me and my man I…
Dr.Feelgood I don't want nobody Always Sittin' around me and my man I…
Drinking Again I'm drinkin' again Thinking of when, when you loved me I'm h…
Drown in My Own Tears It brings big tears Into my eyes When I began When I began…
Eight Days On The Road Sugar baby, be my savior, 'Cause I'm tired, I'm tired I've…
Eleanor Rigby I'm Eleanor Rigby, I picked up the rice In the church…
Elusive Butterfly You might wake up some mornin' To the sound of something…
Ever Changin' Times It's an ever changing time I see, that clock upon the…
Ever Changing Times It's an ever changing time I see, that clock upon the…
Every Girl Every girl wants my guy (my guy) And I can…
Every Lil' Bit Hurts Yes, it's love, so much love You are the one I can't…
Every Litle Bit Hurts Every little bit hurts Every little bit hurts Every nigh…
Every Little Bit Hurts Yes, it's love, so much love You are the one I can't…
Every Natural Thing Nineteen birds in a sycamore tree Everyone with his own mel…
Everybody's Somebody's Fool Here we go with the trick questions They bring up to…
Everybody`s Somebody`s Fool Here we go with the trick questions They bring up to…
Everyday People Sometimes I'm right and I can be wrong My own beliefs…
Evil Gal Blues I'm an evil gal, don't you bother with me, no I…
Exactly Like You I used to have a perfect sweetheart Not a real one,…
Falling Out Of Love It's in the way you say my name Though I hear…
First Snow In Kokomo (First snow in Kokomo) The first snow in Kokomo Off an India…
For All We Know For all we know We may never meet again Before we go Make…
Freeway of Love Knew you'd be a vision in white How'd you get your…
Friendly Persuasion Thee I love, more than the meadow so green and…
Gentle On My Mind It's knowin' that your door is always open And your path…
Get it Right Alright gang let's start from number one Let's throw down ti…
Gimme Your Love It's an evil wind That blows no good, yeah It's a sad…
Gimme Your Love (with James Brown) It's an evil wind That blows no good, yeah It's a sad…
Give Yourself To Jesus Give yourself to Jesus) Give yourself to Jesus (You don't ha…
God Bless the Child Them that's got shall get Them that's not shall lose So th…
God Bless the Child - Remastered Them that's God shall get Them that's not shall lose So the…
God Will Take Care Of You Be not dismayed whatever betide you, you need to know (God…
Going Down Slow I have had my fun, if I don't get well…
Good News Extra, extra Read all about it Extra, extra We heard the goo…
Good Times Everybody get in the groove and let the good times…
Good to Me As I Am to You If you had a dollar And I had a dime I wonder,…
Groovin On a Sunday afternoon (Sunday, Sunday) Really couldn't get …
Groovin' On a Sunday afternoon (Sunday, Sunday) Really couldn't get a…
Groovin` On a Sunday afternoon (Sunday, Sunday) Really couldn't get …
Hard Times My mother told me 'Fore she passed away Said son when I'm…
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Hark, the herald angels sing Glory to a new born King Peac…
He Will Wash You White as Snow If they had ever told me How sweet a kiss could…
Heavenly Father [Chorus] Heavenly Father You're the One We're Waiting on Bec…
Hello Sunshine Hello (hello) sunshine So glad to see you sunshine Hello (he…
Her Little Heart Went to Loveland Her little heart went to loveland His little heart stayed at…
Here We Go Again Come on now Oh oh oh oh oh Here we, here we,…
Here We Go Agin Come on now Oh oh ho ho oh Here we,…
Hey Now Hey I want to be with you I want to be with…
His Eyes Is On The Sparrow Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, …
Hold On I Hold on Hold on (Hold on) don't you ever be sad? Lean on…
Hold On I'm Comin' Hold on Hold on (Hold on) don't you ever be sad? Lean on…
Holdin' On Holdin' on, holdin' on, holdin' on Holdin' on to something t…
Holy Moses Holy Moses, I have been removed I have seen the specter,…
Honest I Do Don't you know that I love you? Honest, I do (oh,…
Honey Mmm... Oh...ooh...ooh...ooh...ooh...ooh...ooh... I gave …
Hooked on Your Love Your tender smile gives me happy thoughts of you, hey…
How Deep Is the Ocean How much do I love you? I'll tell you no lie How…
How Glad I Am My love has no beginning, my love has no end, No…
How Glad I Am - Remastered My love has no beginning, my love has no end No…
How I Got Over How I got over how I got over How I got…
How Long I've Been Waiting My darling, oh darling How long I've been waiting for you Ne…
How many time You used to tell me you loved me You used to…
How Many Times You used to tell me you loved me You used to…
I If I told a lie, if I made you cry When…
I Apologize If I told a lie, if I made you cry When…
I Can't See Myself Leaving You You've been running around This I know, yeah I ought to pack…
I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face I can't wait until I see my, my baby's face When…
i don I don`t love you anymore Not the way I did before And…
I don't know I don't love you anymore Not the way I did before And…
I Don't Know You Anymore I don`t love you anymore Not the way I did before And…
I Dreamed a Dream There was a time when men were kind When their voices…
I Dreamed A Dream Of You There was a time when men were kind Their voices were…
I Got Your Love I got your love It's all that i got I got your…
I Knew You Were Waiting Like a warrior that fights and wins the battle I know…
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (feat. George Michael) '''Aretha Franklin:''' Like a warrior that fights And wins t…
I Knew You Were Waiting for Me Like a warrior that fights and wins the battle I know…
I Knew You Were Waiting ft. George Michael Like a warrior that fights And wins the battle I know the…
I Love Every Little Thing About You Baby, you’ve been my love and my friend You’ve been here…
I May Never Get to Heaven I may never get to heaven by Conway Twitty I walked…
I Needed You Baby If you want my lovin' If you really do Don't be afraid…
i never love You're a no good heart breaker You're a liar and you're…
I Never Loved a Man You're a no good heart breaker You're a liar and you're…
I Never Loved A Man ( The Way You're a no good heart breaker You're a liar and you're…
I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) You're a no good heart breaker You're a liar and you're…
I Never Loved A Man (the Way.. You're a no good heart breaker You're a liar and you're…
I Say a Little Prayer The moment I wake up Before I put on my makeup I…
I Say A Little Prayer - Single Version The moment I wake up Before I put on my makeup…
I Surrender Dear We've played the game of 'stay away' But it costs more…
I Take What I Want I take what I want I'm a bad go-getter, yeah (What…
I Told You So What is romance Without the one you love? Well, it's heart…
I Wanna Be Around I wanna be around to pick up the pieces When somebody…
I Want To Be With You I want to be with you I want to be with…
I Will Surive At first I was afraid, I was petrified Kept thinking I…
I Will Survive At first I was afraid, I was petrified Kept thinking I…
I Will Trust In the Lord I will trust in the Lord. I will trust in the…
I Wish I Didn I wish I didn't love you so, my love for…
I Wish it Would Rain Sunshine, blue skies please go away My man has found another…
I Wonder I wonder my darling Where are you again tonight? Are you hol…
I'll Dip Well, it hurts too much to stay Sometimes I just ain't…
I'll Never Be Free Each time I hold somebody new My arms grow cold thinking…
I'll say a little prayer for you The moment I wake up Before I put on my makeup I…
I'm Every Woman Respect Whatever you want, Whatever you need, Anything you want do…
I'm Every Woman / Respect Whatever you want Whatever you need Anything you want done, …
I'm In Love I'm in love, yes I am I'm in love, yes I…
I'm Not Strong Enough To Love You Again You say you love me, and you wanna come back…
I'm Sitting On the Top of the World I'm sitting on top of the world Just rolling along, Just…
I'm Sitting On Top of the World (Remastered) Just rolling along, Just rolling along I'm quitting the blue…
I'm Trying To Overcome I tried to make you happy And you were feeling sad Tried…
I've Been Loving You Too Long I've been loving you too long to stop now You were…
If Ever a Love There Was I saw your face as I hurried past the cafe And…
IF EVER I WOULD LEAVE YOU If ever I would leave you, it wouldn't be in…
If I Should Lose You If I should lose you The stars would fall from the…
If You Don I say I'll move the mountains And I'll move the mountains …
If You Don't Think I say I'll move the mountains And I'll move the mountains If…
If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody If you gotta make a fool of somebody If you have…
If You Need My Love Tonight Inside my mind the hands of time rewind To when you’re…
Impossible If they had ever told me How sweet a kiss could…
In Case You Forgot Something is wrong, baby Is the feeling gone, baby? Maybe I …
In The Morning Hear me baby Hear me, hear me, hear me, hear me,…
Integrity (No kind of shady) (I am the lady) Let me run this…
It It isn't, it wasn't, it ain't never gonna be It isn't,…
It Ain It ain't necessarily so It ain't necessarily so The things…
It Ain't Fair People All around me But I don't even Have a friend Lord kno…
It Ain't Necessarily So It ain't necessarily so It ain't necessarily so The things t…
It Ain't Necessarly So It ain't necessarily so It ain't necessarily so The things…
It Hurts Like Hell Oh, baby Oh oh, babe Oh oh oh oh oh…
It Isn't It Wasn't It Ain't Never Gonna Be It isn't, it wasn't, it ain't never gonna be It isn't,…
It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be (with Whitney Houston) It isn't, it wasn't, it ain't never gonna be It isn't,…
It Was You It was you You made me love you It was you You made…
It's in His Kiss Does he love me? I wanna know How can I tell if…
It's Just A Matter Of Time Someday, Someway You'll realize that you've been blind Yes …
It's My Turn I can't cover my feelings In the name of love Or play…
It's Raining Men Humidity Is rising Barometer's Getting low According To our …
It's so Heartbreakin' It’s so heartbreaking when the one you love Is in love…
It's Your Thing Oooh yeah Get out (Get out) We’re gonna throw down, yeah (…
i´m sitting on top of the world I'm sitting on top of the world Just rolling along, Just…
Jim Jim doesn't ever bring me pretty flowers, Jim never tries to…
Jimmy Lee All this time I couldn't shake your memory And I…
Johnny When I think of Johnny I remember the spring I remember hi…
Joy to the World Joy, joy Joy to the world, the Lord has come Let…
Jump Yeah, yeah, oh Bum bum bum, boy Why don't I shake it Do…
Jump To It Jump, jump, jump to it Jump, jump, jump to it Jump, jump,…
Jumpin' Jack Flash I was born in a crossfire hurricane, well And I howled…
Just for a Thrill Just for a thrill You changed the sunshine to rain Just fo…
Just for You I'll say goodbye to all that old friends Just for you,…
Just My Daydream Hey, I got a secret The sweetest daydream You and me I'…
Just Right Tonight You want to feel something so sweet and funky Boy, you…
Karaoke (Ooh) What you want (Ooh) Baby, I got (Ooh) What you need …
Keep On Loving You Loving you, baby Brings a chill right down my spine, yes…
Killing me softly Strumming my pain with his fingers Singing my life with his…
Kissin' by the Mistletoe There’s a very good reason Why the holiday season Is a wonde…
Laughing On The Outside The crowd sees me out dancing Carefree and romancing Oh I'…
Lean On Me Let me walk this road of life with you Step by…
Lee Cross Well if you lose me, oh yes You'll lose a good…
Let It Be When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes…
Let Me In Your Life I need someone, hey baby, let me love you Please don't…
Living in the Streets People working night and day You need to take some time…
Look for the Silver Lining Please don't be offended if I preach to you awhile,…
Look Into Your Heart Oh, oh, whoo Oh baby, hey baby, whoo, whoo baby Do do…
Look To The Rainbow Yeah, yeah On the day I was born, said my father,…
Looking Through a Tear People, People who need people, Are the luckiest people in…
Love All The Hurt Away Oh Oh Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby I see myself in…
Love All the Hurt Away (with George Benson) I see myself in your face A reflection of pain Somebody made…
Love For Sale Love for sale! Advertising young love for sale Who would l…
Love Is the Only Thing I love and you love We love Sweet love I look and you…
Love Is the Only Thing - Remastered I love and you love We love Sweet love I look and you…
Love Me Forever We've had a hard time You and I Life sent us through…
Love Me Right (Love me right) love me (Love me right) come on (Love me…
Love Pang Oh baby I feel your perfect love Whenever my day begins Whil…
Love The One You If you want my lovin' If you really do Don't be afraid…
Love The One You're With When you're down, and confused And you don't remember who y…
Lover Come Back You went away I let you We broke the ties that bind I…
Loving You Baby Loving you, baby Brings a chill right down my spine, yes…
Make It With You (I'll make it up to you) (I'll make it up to…
Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman Looking out on the morning rain I used to feel so…
Mary Don't You Weep Oh oh Mary Oh, Mary, don't you weep, don't you mourn Oh,…
Master Of Eyes I say I'll move the mountains And I'll move the mountains …
May Be I'm a Fool Hmm, maybe I'm a fool for loving you so And maybe,…
Maybe I Hmm, maybe I'm a fool for loving you so And maybe,…
Maybe I'm a Fool Hmm, maybe I'm a fool for loving you so And maybe,…
Midnight Train to Georgia Baby, baby Don't go Baby, baby Don't, don't, don't, don't go…
Mister Spain I can feel your blackness and your manhood, and your love I…
Misty Oh look, just look at me I'm as helpless as a…
Mockingbird Everybody have you heard? He's gonna buy me a mockingbird …
Mockingbird - Remastered Moch (Yeah) Ing (Yeah) Bird (Yeah) Yeah (Yeah) Mocking bird …
Money Won Told me, darling, that you had to go Find somebody, I…
Money Won't Change You Told me, darling, that you had to go Find somebody, I…
and many more tracks by Aretha Franklin.
The lyrics can frequently be found in the comments below, by filtering for lyric videos or browsing the comments in the different videos below.
Luiz Carneiro
Could you please upload the talk from Rubén Sospedra ? This talk already exists on youtube, but in spanish. I really would like to re-see that in English. Thank you!
Luiz Carneiro
@JS Kongress May 24th, yap? ;) cool ! I watched in Spanish and will have a re-look in English then. Thanks !!
JS Kongress
We will upload Rubén's video next Friday, April 24 – stay tuned :)