More than the ‘Queen of Soul’
Singer, 76, became one of biggest influences of all musical genres with her powerful, dynamic voice
Aretha Franklin will forever be remembered as the “Queen of Soul.” Yet, her contributions to popular music extends far beyond that one genre. It might be more accurate to remember her simply as one of the greatest vocalists of all time.
Franklin died at age 76 Thursday morning of advanced pancreatic cancer, her family announced in a statement, four days after reports of Franklin being “gravely ill” prompted a worldwide vigil. She spent her final days receiving hospice care in her home, surrounded by friends and family.
The first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Franklin was known for such enduring classic songs as “( You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman ,”“Think ”( which she memorably performed in “The Blues Brothers” movie)
and “Respect.” She had weathered several health concerns over the years and was reportedly diagnosed with cancer in 2010.
Despite her ailments, Franklin continued singing and performing into late 2017. Following a 1980s traveling scare, Franklin had a severe fear of flying and didn’t embark on long tours often. Yet, she still greatly enjoyed getting onstage.
I am just delighted when they enjoy it,” Franklin told the Bay Area News Group in 2015. “It makes all the time and effort that you put into the preparation worth it.”
Franklin’s performances in the Bay Area were a rarity over the last half century. She played a 1976 show at the old Circle Star Theater in San Carlos and didn’t return until 39 years later, when she delivered a thrilling show before 8,000 fans at Oracle Arena in Oakland in 2015.
Her death drew exclamations of sadness and devotion across the globe Thursday, with President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama joining such entertainers as Barbra Streisand, Sir Paul McCartney, John Legend, Carole King, Missy Elliott and BetteMidler memorializing the iconic singer.
The loss of Franklin is a shattering blow to themusic world, where she has long and deservedly been held in the highest of esteem. She produced so many classic recordings and influenced so many artists that she belongs in the same popular musical stratosphere as the Beatles, Bob Marley, Billie Holiday, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, BobDylan and Frank Sinatra.
Indeed, it’s hard to even imagine what popular music would sound like today if it weren’t for Franklin. Here was a once-in-a-generation talent that blended and helped popularize gospel, R& B, blues, pop, rock and other styles of music into something that was completely her own.
And then there was that voice, which could soar over mountaintops at the drop of a hat, yet never at the expense of the song’s core meaning or emotional impact. She could express rage, sass, defiance, love, heartbreak, strength, vulnerability and spiritual awakening with equal clarity. It was this ability that made landmark recordings such as “Respect” and “Chain of Fools” timeless anthems of female empowerment or civil rights.
Aretha Louise Franklin was born March 25, 1942 in Memphis, but moved to Detroit as a child. Her father was Rev. C. L. Franklin, a nationally known speaker who was associated with Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson and other civil rights leaders. The family was friendly with some of the greatest gospel singers of the day, reportedly including Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson. Aretha Franklin gained her first experience singing before crowds as a child at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit.
She was still a teen when she made her recording debut on an album titled “Spirituals” in 1956. She’d also began traveling with her father to perform at venues around the country, including at least one show in Oakland.
“I appeared with my father in one of the city arenas there,” Franklin recalled in the 2015 interview. “I was about 17 and preceded him, singing gospel prior to his sermon. That’s my oldest, fondest memory of Oakland.”
She was just 18 when she started her secular recording career at Columbia Re- cords in 1960. Yet it wasn’t until she moved over to Atlantic Records in 1967 that her career began to skyrocket. Her first album for Atlantic was the outright classic “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You.” Recorded at the Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama, and cementing her sound more strongly in blues and gospel music, the album delivered, among many other fine tracks, the anthem “Respect” and set Franklin up to emerge as the Queen of Soul.
Amid career ups and downs, changes in the American musical landscape, two marriages and the traumatic death of her father (who was shot during a break-in at his home in 1979 and eventually died in 1984), Franklin charted more than 100 singles, including several No. 1 R& B hits, and sold more than 75 million records, making her one of themost successful recording artists of all time.
Two of her most memorable televised performances both came in 1998. At the Grammy Awards, she replaced an ailing Luciano Pavarotti and blew the house away on a Puccini aria, of all things, and on VH1’s “Total Divas Live” telecast she outclassed such A-List vocalists as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Carole King and Shania Twain.
Franklin is survived by four sons, the first of whom she bore when she was 12, and four grandchildren. Details of funeral or memorial services have not been announced.