QUEEN OF SOUL

QUEEN OF SOUL

Time line

March 1942: Aretha Franklin is born in Memphis. Her father, a prominent Baptist minister with gospel-music connections, would move the family briefly to Buffalo before settling in Detroit when Aretha was 2.

1956: Franklin releases her first album, a gospel collection called “Songs of Faith.”.

1961: Franklin marries her manager, Ted White. Their troubled eight-year union is believed to have inspired her performances on many songs.

November 1966: Franklin signs with Atlantic Records, where producer Jerry Wexler encourages her to embrace her classic soul-and-gospel sound.

February 1967: “Respect,” Franklin’s career-defining anthem, is recorded. The song would reach No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart, win Franklin two Grammys and make her an international star.

January 1977 : Franklin sings “God Bless America” at the inauguration of Jimmy Carter.

July 1985: “Freeway of Love” off of Franklin’s “Who’s Zooming Who” album, becomes her first top 10 hit in a decade.

January 1987: Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

October 2014: Franklin’s cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” reaches No. 47 on Billboard’s R&B chart. It’s her 100th charting single, and she’s the first woman to reach the milestone.

Source: Associated Press