Yesterday, the world of music mourned the loss of true royalty.  Aretha Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and pianist, but to millions of fans, she was an icon.  

Aretha's Parents

Aretha and her father, C.L. Franklin

On March 25, 1942, Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee.  When Aretha was 2 years old, her family moved to Buffalo, New York, briefly for her father’s career as a minister.  Before she turned 5, they made the permanent move to Detroit, Michigan, where Aretha remained until her death, yesterday, August 16, 2018.  

 It was in Detroit, shortly after her mother’s death, that the 10-year-old Franklin started singing solos at New Bethel church, where her father was a preacher.  

Aretha’s father became her manager and she recorded her first album, “Songs of Faith”, in 1956, at the age of only 14!

From that first album on, Aretha enjoyed success and fame as a musical icon.  She sang for Presidents and world leaders.  She won too many music awards to list and she was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame.  The music magazine, “Rolling Stone” placed her at number 1 on their list of “The Greatest Singers of All Time”.  

Today’s Listening Example is Aretha’s Career-defining anthem, “RESPECT”.  Recorded in February of 1967, “Respect”  would reach No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart, win Franklin two Grammys and make her an international star.  Thank you, Aretha, for sharing your talent, and the music in your soul, with all of us.  You will be missed.

References

http://www.arethafranklin.net/biography/
https://apnews.com/9185c1246ec84036aa9128c7cec65827
​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin