Aretha Franklin, Mary J Blige Headline 2012 Essence Music Festival : January 13, 2012

The initial portion of the lineup for the 2012 Essence Music Festival has been announced, and Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige the headliners. Other performers confirmed [...]

Aretha Franklin, Steven Tyler Engaged – Just Not to Each Other : January 02, 2012

Classic singers Aretha Franklin and Steven Tyler are engaged! But don’t worry, they are not engaged to each other. Aretha Franklin announced recently that she will w [...]

Aretha Franklin Releases First Album Since 2003 : April 27, 2011

Aretha Franklin is releasing a new album. Now that her mysterious illness has been resolved, she is coming out with “Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love” independentl [...]

Aretha Franklin Cancels Concert Dates Through May 2011 : November 14, 2010

Soul singer Aretha Franklin is having to cancel all of her concert appearances that were planned for the upcoming months because of a medical issue that has not been disc [...]

New Orleans Jazz Festival Returns with Pearl Jam, Van Morrison : December 17, 2009

It’s hard to image as winter gets a firm foothold, but the sultry, spring New Orleans Jazz Festival is just around the corner. The festival is headlined by heavyweight [...]

aretha franklin Biography

Aretha Franklin, the American singer, pianist and songwriter, was born in Memphis, TN on March 25, 1942. She has been dubbed “The Queen of Soul” and is best known for her soul music. However she is also very adept with gospel music, R&B, blues and jazz. She was ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine as No. 1 on their “The Greatest Singers of All Time” list.

Franklin has won 18 Grammy Awards along with two honorary Grammys. Aretha has had twenty No. 1 singles on Billboard's R&B singles Chart as well as two No. 1 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 chart: 1967's “Respect” and 1987's “I know You Were Waiting (For Me),” a duet sang with George Michael. She has had 45 total Top 40 hit singles on Billboard's Hot 100 chart since 1961 and has had 14 million-selling singles, the most from any female artist. From 1968 to 1982 Franklin had ten No. 1 R&B albums. In 1987, she was the first female inducted into Rock and Roll's Hall of Fame. She was also the featured singer at Barack Obama's 2009 presidential inauguration.

Franklin released her debut album “Aretha” in 1961. Her label had her record mostly pop music influenced by jazz and failed to draw on her gospel background. In 1966, she signed with Atlantic. Her first song with her new label was “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You).” The song soared up the R&B and pop charts. “Respect,” her second Atlantic single, was her biggest hit and rose to the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. In 1967, she had three other top ten hits: “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and “Baby I Love You.” Franklin, in May 2011 to celebrate her 50th year in music, released “A Woman Falling Out of Love,” her 38th studio album.