‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin dies at 76
WaShington: Raised on gospel, bathed in rhythm and blues and fluent in jazz and pop, Aretha Franklin came to be known as the “Queen of Soul” through seven decades of electrifying performances.
From her father’s church to the hallowed grounds of the US Capitol, Franklin sang for parishioners and presidents and left her mark on music fans everywhere.
Franklin died of pancreatic cancer yesterday in Detroit, where family and friends had gathered during her final days, her publicist told US media. She was 76.
Perhaps best known for the vocal power behind her feminist-tinged cover of Otis Redding’s Respect, Franklin was an inspiration for two generations of pop divas.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 25, 1942 to C.L. Franklin, a prominent Baptist preacher, and Barbara Siggers Franklin, Aretha Louise Franklin grew up singing gospel in her father’s New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit.
Her first recording – Spirituals – came out on a local label in 1956 when she was just 14.
She signed with Columbia Records in 1960, releasing her first album The Great Aretha Franklin. That brought her several R&B hits and one which broke into Billboard’s top 40 in 1961: Rock-A-Bye Your Baby (With A Dixie Melody).
But her career really took off after moving to Atlantic Records in 1966 and beginning a collaboration with producer Jerry Wexler that would result in 14 albums together.
Respect soared to number one in 1967, topping the charts for weeks and being adopted as the anthem of the civil rights and the women’s equality movements.
Winning her the accolade “Queen of Soul”, it brought her the first of 18 Grammy Awards.
In rapid succession came hits like Chain of Fools and the sensual ballad (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
“If a song’s about something I’ve experienced or that could’ve happened to me, it’s good. But if it’s alien to me, I couldn’t lend anything to it. Because that’s what soul is about – just living and having to get along,” she told Time magazine in a 1968 cover story.
In 1987, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1994 and in 2005, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honour.
Franklin continued to perform into the 2000s, holding court – and holding her own, vocals-wise – with in-their-prime pop divas.
In her 70s, she was forced to cancel several concerts for health reasons. She announced her retirement from touring in 2017.
Franklin had been scheduled to make several performances this year despite announcing her retirement. But ill health forced her to cancel a March 25 concert to mark her 76th birthday. — AFP