Aretha Franklin
(Queen of Soul)
b. March 25, 1942 d. August 16, 2018
Hail to The Queen
Born in Memphis Tennessee to a father who was Baptist minister and mother who was an accomplished pianist and vocalist. Aretha's father, C.L. Franklin, relocated the family to Detroit Michigan when Aretha was five. Around age 10 Aretha began singing solo in at her father's church.
Aretha had her first child, Clarence, when she was 13 years old. When she was 14 she signed her first recording contract. At 15, she had her second child Edward.
In 1961, Aretha had left gospel music and released her first secular album Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo. The album included the first top 100 single, "Won't Be Long", of her remarkable music career. The hit songs would continue over the next five decades. She was the first woman to have 100 singles on the Billboard R&B charts.
Here are some more of Aretha's musical accomplishments.
Recipient of 18 Grammy awards
The first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Recipient of The Presidential Medal Of Freedom
Kennedy Center Honoree in 1994
Ranked first on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time"
Second woman inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame
Aretha's third child, Ted White Jr., was in February 196. Her youngest son, Kecalf Cunningham, was born in 1970.
Aretha was married twice. Her first husband was Ted White, whom she married at the age of 19. Aretha second husband was actor Glynn Turman.
Aretha succumbed to a pancreatic disorder August 16, 2018. The Queen of Soul was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.