Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin (1942-03-25)March 25, 1942 was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Queen of Soul", she was twice named by Rolling Stone magazine as the greatest singer of all time. Franklin began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father C. L. Franklin was a minister. She was signed as a recording artist for Columbia Records and after moving to Atlantic Records in 1966, she achieved commercial acclaim and success. She recorded many successful albums with Atlantic Records including 'I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)', 'Lady Soul (1968)', and 'Young, Gifted and Black (1972)'. Franklin is one of the best-selling music artists, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide. In addition to her music career, she appeared in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. She received 18 Grammy Awards throughout her career and was also awarded the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1987, she became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.