Ace in the Soul: All about the Legendary Singer - ARETHA FRANKLIN!!
BIOGRPAHY
Aretha Louise Franklin was a singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Aretha Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, and died on August 16, 2018. At the time of her death, she was 76 years old. She was known as the legendary “Queen of Soul”, who won 18 Grammy awards and was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Aretha Franklin was also a supporter of civil and women’s rights throughout her life. Aretha Franklin has influenced numerous soul, R&B, and pop artists all over the world. Her influences can still be seen in musicians like Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, and Adele.
Aretha was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, on March 25, 1942. She was the fourth child of five children. Her father, Clarence LaVaughn Franklin, was a Baptist and preacher, while her mother, Barbara Siggers Franklin, was a piano player and vocalist. Aretha had a very tough childhood. By the time Aretha was six, her family separated and four years later, Aretha's mother died of a heart attack on March 7, 1952, right before Aretha's 10th birthday. Aretha was first pregnant when she was twelve. Aretha named her first son Clarence after his father. In the following years, while she was pursuing her career, her grandmother Rachel and sister Erma Franklin were taking care of her children.
Aretha Franklin grew up with music in her soul. She lived in Detroit, the home of Motown, a style of blues music. Aretha’s mother was a gifted singer and piano player. After her mother’s death, several women took turns taking care of her. One of them was Mahalia Jackson, who was one of the most influential gospel singers in the 20th century. Aretha’s father came across many music celebrities. They were mostly gospel and soul singers, like Clara Ward, James Cleveland, The Caravans, Albertina Walker, Inez Andrews, Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke. Last but not least, Aretha’s brother was best friends with Smokey Robinson, later, Aretha became friends with him, too.
Right after Aretha’s mother’s death, she started to sing at the New Bethel Church. When she was twelve, her father brought her on the road to sing in various churches. In 1956, J.V.B. a records company, released Aretha’s first single, "Never Grow Old".
On August 31, 1957, when she was fifteen years old, Aretha had her second child with Edward Jordan, named Edward Derone Franklin after his father.
In 1960, Aretha moved to New York from Detroit and signed with Columbia Records, who released her album “Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo” in January 1961. The album featured her first single "Won't Be Long" to chart the Billboard Hot 100 , which also peaked at No. 7 on the R&B chart.
In 1961, Aretha was married to her first husband, Theodore White. Three years after her marriage with Theodore, in 1964, they welcomed a son, Theodore Jr., into her family.
In her early career, she performed in diverse genres such as vocal jazz, blues, and R&B. Aretha Franklin recorded her first international hit, “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody” which reached #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961.
By 1964, Aretha began to record pop music and ballads, “Runnin’ Out of Fools” reached the top 10 on the R&B chart in 1965. By the mid-1960s, Aretha was making $100,000 per year from many performances in nightclubs and theaters.
In November 1966, Aretha moved to Atlantic Records. In 1967, her song "I Never Loved a Man" was released and reached #1 on the R&B chart, while also being #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Besides being an excellent singer, Aretha was also a human rights activist. In April, Atlantic published her song "Respect", which reached number one on both the R&B and pop charts for twelve weeks. This song electrified the US and became the anthem of women’s rights and civil rights. Another song of hers, “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves” was another feminist anthem, imagining a world where all women can break free from sexism. Every year Aretha would donate to food during the holidays and has supported charities including the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes. Because Aretha Franklin has suffered diabetes throughout her life, she wanted to help children with diabetes.
Aretha’s singles include "Baby I Love You" and "A Natural Woman" scored top-ten singles in 1967. In 1968, she published the top-selling albums Lady Soul and Aretha Now, which included "Chain of Fools", "Ain't No Way", "Think" and "I Say a Little Prayer", which were her very famous hit singles. In February 1968, Aretha earned the first two of her Grammys, one of them was Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. February 16 was named Aretha Franklin day. On that day, her friend, Martin Luther King Jr., who gave her the SCLC Drum Beat Award for Musicians which was two months before his death. Aretha performed and sang the song, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”, at King's funeral.
After her first marriage with Theodore White which involved domestic violence, Aretha separated from him in 1968 and got divorced in 1969.
When the civil rights leader Angela Davis was arrested in 1970 and falsely accused as a “terrorist” by President Richard Nixon, Aretha intended to post a $250,000 bail, this was one of many times where she financially supported black activists.
Aretha’s success has continued to expand during the early 1970s, when she recorded many R&B number ones that included "Don't Play That Song", as well as the top-ten singles "Spanish Harlem", "Rock Steady" and "Day Dreaming". In 1971, Aretha became the first R&B performer to headline Fillmore West, a rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California. Later that year she released the live album Aretha Live at Fillmore West. On June 1, 1972, She released her album, Amazing Grace, which sold more than two million copies. Aretha moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1970.
She married her second husband, Glynn Turman, who was an actor, on April 11, 1978. The wedding was held at her father's church. By marrying Turman, Aretha was the stepmother of Turman's three children from a previous marriage.
When Aretha was performing in Las Vegas, on June 10, 1979, her father, C. L. Franklin was shot twice at point-blank range in his home in Detroit.
In 1979 Aretha left the Atlantic Records company. In 1980, Aretha signed with Clive Davis's Arista Records. In the same year, she performed at London's Royal Albert Hall in front of Queen Elizabeth. Franklin was also a character in the 1980 comedy musical The Blues Brothers.
In 1982, Aretha and Turman separated and she returned to Michigan from California, She was close to her siblings and her father. Aretha and her second husband, Glynn Turman got divorced in 1984, the same year as her father died at a nursing center called New Light Nursing Home on July 27, 1984.
In 1985, Aretha’s album Who's Zoomin' Who? sold well over a million copies. Aretha sang the theme song of the TV shows A Different World and Together. In 1987, she published her third gospel album, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism.
In 1995, Aretha’s album "A Rose Is Still a Rose'' sold over 500,000 copies. Her final Arista album, So Damn Happy, was released in 2003 and featured a Grammy-winning song "Wonderful". On January 20, 2009, Aretha made international headlines for performing "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" at President Barack Obama's inaugural ceremony. In 2010, Aretha accepted an honorary degree from Yale University.
In 2010, Aretha canceled a number of concerts to have surgery. On May 19, 2011, Aretha came back and had a show at the Chicago Theatre. In May 2013, she canceled two performances because of medical treatment.
On September 29, 2014, Aretha performed her cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" on The Late Show with David Letterman. She became the first woman to have 100 songs on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
On August 13, 2018, Aretha was very ill at her home in Detroit. She was surrounded by friends and family. Stevie Wonder, Jesse Jackson, and ex-husband Glynn Turman visited her. Aretha died of pancreatic cancer at her home on August 16, 2018, aged 76 without a will. Aretha Franklin's funeral was held at the Greater Grace Temple in her hometown of Detroit. where Rosa Parks' funeral was held. Ariana Grande, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill, Chaka Khan, Shirley Caesar, and Yolanda Adams performed at the funeral.
Caring (Aretha was caring about Angela Davis and other Black people)
Respectful (She respected her father)
Generous (She intended to spend millions of dollars on someone she didn’t know well.)
Courageous (She was being able to do what she wanted despite what other people might think)
Grateful (She planned to spend the money which was from Black people on saving a Black anti-racist)
Justice (She knew that Angela Davis was a good person and decided to bail her out.)
In 1970, when Aretha was 28 years old, Angela Davis, a human rights activist, was jailed and considered a terrorist. Aretha Franklin offered $250,000 to post bail for Angela Davis. Aretha told Jet magazine: “My daddy says I don’t know what I’m doing. Well, I respect him, of course, but I’m going to stick by my beliefs. Angela Davis must go free. Black people will be free…. Jail is hell to be in. I’m going to see her free if there is any justice in our courts, not because I believe in communism, but because she’s a Black woman and she wants freedom for Black people. I have the money; I got it from Black people—they’ve made me financially able to have it—and I want to use it in ways that will help our people.”
A GRIEF TIMELINE:
March 25, 1942
Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.
March 7, 1952
Aretha's mother died of a heart attack
1961
Aretha married her manager, Ted White, when she was 19.
February 1967
"Respect," was recorded. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart, won Franklin two Grammys, and made her an international star.
June 1972
The album "Amazing Grace," is released. It sold more than 2 million copies and was among Aretha’s biggest hits.
June 1980
The hit film comedy "The Blues Brothers" was released. Aretha was the main character.
January 1987
Aretha became the first woman who was being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
January 2009
Aretha sang "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" at the inauguration of Barack Obama.
August 16, 2018
Aretha died of pancreatic cancer at her home.
CITATIONS
Ritz, D. (2021, March 21). Aretha Franklin | Biography, Songs, Albums, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aretha-Franklin
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