Time Magazine Biography Aretha Franklin

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Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan where her father C. L. Franklin was minister. She embarked on a secular career in 1960 at 18, recording for Columbia Records but achieving only modest success. She achieved commercial success and acclaim after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966, with songs such as "Respect", "Chain of Fools", "Think", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", and "I Say a Little Prayer". By the end of the 1960s, she was called "The Queen of Soul". Franklin received numerous honors throughout her career, including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the first female performer to be inducted, the National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012. She is listed in two all-time lists by Rolling Stone magazine, including the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2008 she was ranked by Rolling Stone as the No. 1 greatest singer of all time

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The definitive biography of the Queen of Soul from acclaimed music writer David Ritz, hailed by Rolling Stone as "a remarkably complex portrait of Aretha Franklin's music and her tumultuous life." Aretha Franklin began life as the golden daughter of a progressive and promiscuous Baptist preacher. Raised without her mother, she was a gospel prodigy who gave birth to two sons in her teens and left them and her native Detroit for New York, where she struggled to find her true voice. It was not until 1967, when a white Jewish producer insisted she return to her gospel-soul roots, that fame and fortune finally came via "Respect" and a rapidfire string of hits. She has evolved ever since, amidst personal tragedy, surprise Grammy performances, and career reinventions. Again and again, Aretha stubbornly finds a way to triumph over troubles, even as they continue to build. Her hold on the crown is tenacious, and in Respect, David Ritz gives us the definitive life of one of the greatest talents in all American culture. "Comprehensive and illuminating." --USA Today

A frank examination of Aretha Franklin, Mark Bego’s definitive biography traces her career accomplishments from her beginnings as a twelve-year-old member of a church choir in the early 1950s, to recording her first album at the age of fourteen and signing a major recording contract at eighteen, right up through her headline-grabbing 2010 health scare. Originally positioned to become a gospel star in her father’s Detroit church, Aretha had a privileged urban upbringing—stars such as Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, and Sam Cooke regularly visited her father, Rev. C. L. Franklin. It wasn’t long before she was creating a string of hits, from “Respect” to “Freeway of Love,” and becoming one of the most beloved singers of the twentieth century. This New York Times bestselling author’s detailed research includes in-person interviews with record producers Jerry Wexler, Clyde Otis, and Clive Davis, Aretha’s first husband, several of her singing star contemporaries, and a rare one-on-one session with Aretha herself. Every album, every accolade, and every heart-breaking personal drama is examined with clarity and neutrality, allowing Franklin’s colorful story to unfold on its own. With two teenage pregnancies and an abusive first marriage, drinking problems, battles with her weight, the murder of her father, and tabloid wars, Aretha’s life has been a roller coaster. This freshly updated and expanded biography will give readers a clear understanding of what made Aretha Franklin the “Queen of Soul.”

PEOPLE celebrates the peerless Aretha Franklin. In words and pictures, this special edition offers an in-depth look at Franklin's career, from singing in her father Rev. C.L. Franklin's Detroit church choir after her mother's early death, to finding chart success as she became a powerful voice for civil rights, to performing at three presidential inaugurations. The book includes chapters on Franklin's Amazing Grace, the best-selling gospel album of all time; her collaborations with Whitney Houston, George Michael, Lauryn Hill, and more; and the special connection she shared with President Barack Obama. Plus: a behind-the-scenes peek at the Aretha biopic, Respect, and an interview with its star, Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson.

Aretha Franklin has recorded 39 studio albums, had 20 number-one R&B singles, 44 Grammy nominations and 18 wins. It’s a career that’s legendary. Franklin was not a groundbreaker. She just did what she does better and longer than anyone else. She recorded her first major label album when Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House and then sang at the inauguration of Barack Obama. This book looks at the incredible life of Franklin. While the contents of this book have been researched, this book is unauthorized.

America's Queen of Soul recounts the story of her life, from her childhood as a minister's daughter in Detroit to her rise to success, offering insights into the faith and determination that have taken her to the top.