By Nia Simone McLeod
Listen to Aretha Franklin’s heavenly rendition of Amazing Grace to celebrate and honor her memory.
Aretha Franklin was not just a legendary artist who perfectly exemplified her lifetime moniker “Queen of Soul.” She was a woman whose voice had the power to touch millions of lives internationally and permanently shift popular culture as a whole. Her life was filled with highs and lows but she was blessed with a talent and an unabashed determination for success that embedded her into musical history as one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee to a mother and a father who both had musical and artistic talent. On one side, her father was a Baptist minister and a famous circuit preacher. On the other side, her mother was an accomplished piano player and vocalist. Both of these influences led to Aretha having an interest in music. Her mother had died from a heart attack right before Aretha’s tenth birthday, leading to Aretha’s grandmother and gospel legend Mahalia Jackson coming into the home to help take care of Aretha and her siblings. At that time, she began to learn how to play the piano by ear. In the church choir, she began to learn how to utilize the range of her voice.
In a 1999 interview with NPR, she recalled the church experience fondly, “I loved going to church. I enjoyed being a part of the choir and just doing things in and around the church. But, as a young girl, I certainly enjoyed watching and listening to my dad.”
That initial interest in music led to Aretha joining her father in gospel caravan tours around the country. Her father shared his sermons while Aretha shared her voice. From a young age, she was influenced politically. As a teenager, she toured with Martin Luther King Jr., while he preached towards non-violence and equality. Later, in 1968, she sang at King’s funeral after he was assassinated.
Her Rise to Fame
With the help of her father, she signed her first record contract with J.V.B records in her hometown of Detroit and released her first album Songs of Faith, in 1958. After meeting Sam Cooke in California earlier, she revealed to her father that she was more interested in performing pop music. Shortly after she turned 18, she moved to New York and started her own journey in the music industry.
It wasn’t long before she gathered the attention of Columbia Records, which led to her first single “Today I Sing the Blues.” Throughout the 60s she delivered her own unique brand of rhythm and blues through tunes like “Operation Heartbreak,” “Rock-A-Bye,” and “You Made Me Love You.” It wasn’t until the late sixties that she began to dominate the pop charts through songs like “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” and the song that solidified the longevity of her musical career, “Respect.” “Respect” wasn’t just an undeniably catchy tune. It was an anthem that hyper-charged the civil rights and feminist movements of the 60s and beyond.
In a 2015 interview with Vogue, Aretha Franklin revealed why she thought the song was so timeless, “I was asked what recording of mine I’d put in a time capsule, and it was “Respect.” Because people want respect–even small children, even babies. As people, we deserve respect from one another.”
Her Legacy
The list of Aretha Franklin’s hits is endless. “Chain of Fools,” “You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman),” and “I Say a Little Prayer” are just a few. The accolades that she’s earned throughout her career make up an even longer list. She’s won 18 Grammy awards over her 50+ year career including winning Best Female R&B Vocal Performance eight times in a row. She’s the first female performer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, back in 1987. Also, she’s been inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame and the GMA Gospel Hall of Fame. Politically, she became a longtime musical staple performing for many presidents including Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
In the early 2010s, she began to have a number of health problems that caused her to cancel concert dates across the U.S. Her 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 in November 2017.
In early August 2018, it was revealed that Franklin was gravely ill and receiving hospice care in her hometown of Detroit. She was surrounded by friends and family including Jesse Jackson and Stevie Wonder. On August 16, 2018, she succumbed to pancreatic cancer.
Aretha Franklin was a woman who held many titles: singer, pianist, activist. Even though she’s laid her crowd down for a final time, she’ll live forever through her music. Her legacy is an inspiration for artists of the past, present, and future. She’ll forever be embedded into the soundtrack of all of our lives, inspiring us all with her amazing grace and her once-in-a-lifetime talent.
Franklin is survived by her four sons Clarence, Edward, Ted, and Kecalf.
