Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin was an American singer crowned the Queen of Soul. Born in Memphis in 1942 and raised in Detroit, she learned to sing gospel in her father’s church and carried that fire into a six-decade career.

Respect

After early years at Columbia, she signed to Atlantic Records in 1966 and worked with producer Jerry Wexler. Her 1967 cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect” topped the charts and became an anthem of the civil rights and women’s movements.

A run of classics

The late 1960s brought “Chain of Fools”, “Think”, “I Say a Little Prayer” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, written by Carole King. Her 1972 album Amazing Grace became the best-selling gospel record of all time.

A pop revival

She returned to the pop charts in the 1980s with “Freeway of Love” and the number-one duet “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” with George Michael, and covered the Rolling Stones‘ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”.

Queen of Soul

A Detroit peer and friend of Stevie Wonder, she won 18 Grammys and was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She died in 2018 at the age of 76, on the same August date as Elvis Presley decades earlier.

Most loved songs

A spread across the catalogue. Each title opens through the in-site player.

From a soul anthem to a gospel-charged ballad, the odds are good an Aretha Franklin song has stayed with you. Type the line you remember into the search box above and you may find it leads back to her.