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Aretha Franklin

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Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and pianist. In a recording career that has spanned over half a century, Franklin's repertoire has included gospel, jazz, blues, R&B, pop, rock and funk. Franklin is known as one of the most important popularizers of the soul music genre and is referred to as the Queen of Soul, a title she was given early in her career. Franklin, the daughter of prominent Baptist minister and activist C. L. Franklin, began her singing career singing in her father's church at the age of ten and started recording four years later. After several years in the gospel circuit and with her father's blessing, she formed a secular pop music career at the age of eighteen, signing with Columbia Records, where she was branded by its CEO John Hammond as his most important act since Billie Holiday. Franklin's Columbia period wasn't as successful as hoped and in late 1966, Franklin switched over to Atlantic Records, where she began recording a string of popular hits including "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Think", "Chain of Fools" and what later became her signature song, "Respect". After a brief lull in 1969, Franklin continued to record a string of popular singles throughout the early 1970s, reaching her peak as an albums artist with 1970's Spirit in the Dark, 1971's Young, Gifted & Black and the 1972 gospel record, Amazing Grace, which later became one of the best-selling gospel albums of all time and was the biggest-selling album in gospel music for over 25 years. Franklin's success in Atlantic peaked after the release of the singles, "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)", "I'm in Love" and "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" and the 1976 soundtrack to the movie, Sparkle and Franklin left the label in 1980 to sign with Clive Davis' Arista Records label where she switched over from soul and funk music to a more conservative urban adult contemporary sound in the albums, Aretha and Love All the Hurt Away, before regaining commercial success with the 1982 album, Jump to It, produced by R&B hitmaker Luther Vandross. In 1984, Franklin added modern day pop rock and dance elements to her sound, which was integral to the success of her 1985 album, Who's Zoomin' Who?, which spawned the hits "Freeway of Love", "Who's Zoomin' Who" and the Eurythmics featured "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves". The 1986 release of Aretha featured her last number-one hit single with the George Michael duet "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me". Afterwards Franklin returned to a lull in her career until the release of 1998's A Rose Is Still a Rose, which incorporated modern day contemporary R&B and which the title track returned Franklin to the top 40 of the pop charts. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" list, as well as the ninth greatest artist of all time. She has won 18 Grammys and received two honorary Grammys. In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Franklin is planned to be inducted to the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in August 2012.

More about Aretha Franklin at Wikipedia

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Discography

A Natural Woman / Baby, Baby, Baby, 1967
Live at Fillmore West, 2010
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, 2001
Spirit in the Dark, 1993
A Rose Is Still a Rose, 1998
Aretha in Paris, 1994
The Delta Meets Detroit: Aretha's Blues, 1998
The Great American Songbook, 2011
After Hours
Aretha's Gold, 1990
A Rose Is Still a Rose (disc 2), 1998
Lady Soul, 1998
Get It Right, 1983
The House That Jack Built / I Say a Little Prayer, 1968
Greatest Hits (1980-1994), 1996
Think (Remixes), 2011
Soul '69, 1969
Aretha, 1980
Amazing Grace, 1972
So Damn Happy, 2003
Trouble in Mind, 2011
Save Me
A Deeper Love
This Christmas, 2008
The Electrifying Aretha Franklin, 1962
Aretha & Otis, 2002
A Natural Woman
You, 1975
Love Songs
Aretha Sings the Blues, 1987
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism (disc 2)
The Queen of Soul
Jump to It
Day Dreaming, 2007
Aretha Now, 1968
Take A Look: Aretha Franklin on Columbia, 2011
The Very Best of Aretha Franklin: The '60s, 1994
Aretha's Jazz, 1984
Beautiful Ballads & Love Songs, 2008
Through the Storm, 1989
19 Grandes Exitos
Tracks of My Tears / The Weight
Experience
The Best of Aretha Franklin, 1984
More Hits, 1991
Aretha Arrives, 1993
Soul Sister: The Classic Aretha Franklin, 1998
Jazz to Soul
Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings, 1999
Tutto Aretha: A Natural Woman, 2006
Young, Gifted and Black, 1972
This Girl's in Love With You, 1970
Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets With the Queen, 2007
Greatest Hits, 2000
I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face / One Step Ahead, 1965
Respect
Aretha's Greatest Hits, 1973
Aretha Franklin's Greatest Hits 1960-65
Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), 1994
Aretha Queen of Soul (The Very Best Of)
A Woman Falling Out of Love, 2011
Respect (And Other Hits), 2006
The Very Best of Aretha - Queen of Soul
Sparkle, 1976
The Early Years
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me), 1987
A Natural Woman and Other Hits
Hall of Fame
Jump to It / (It's Just) Your Love / Get It Right: (feat. 12" Extended Mixes), 1990
Who's Zoomin' Who, 1985
Original Recordings
Queen of Soul
The Very Best of Aretha Franklin: The '70s
Sunday Morning Classics, 2009
Under Her Spell, 2002
Who's Zoomin' Who?, 1985
Aretha Franklin, 2009
The Very Best of Aretha Franklin
100 Hits Legends: Aretha Franklin, 2010
30 Greatest Hits (disc 1), 1986
Lady Soul & Aretha Now (Gold Disc), 1995
Spanish Harlem / Lean on Me, 1971
Respect: The Very Best of Aretha Franklin, 2002
Gospel Greats, 1999
Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington, 1995
Two Classic Albums From Aretha Franklin: The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging / Soft and Beautiful
The King and Queen of Soul: Aretha Franklin (disc 2)
A Bit of Soul
The Collection
Eleanor Rigby, 1970
Legends of Soul: The Very Best of Aretha Franklin & Otis Redding, 2005
Let Me In Your Life, 1974
Respect & Other Hits
With Everything I Feel in Me, 1974
30 Greatest Hits, 1986
Aretha Franklin Sings Standards
Aretha's Best
Love All the Hurt Away, 1981
Le Meilleur d'Aretha Franklin
What You See Is What You Sweat, 1991
Only A Look
Sweet Bitter Love, 1970
1 heure avec Aretha Franklin (Yeah !!! In person with her quartet The first 12 sides)
The Queen in Waiting, 2002
20 Greatest Hits, 1987
What a Difference a Day Makes
The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging, 1962
Soul Sister, 1966
Gospel Roots
Precious Lord, 2006
This Is Jazz 34
Collection (disc 2), 2006
The Very Best of Arehta Franklin
Platinum & Gold Collection
The First 12 Sides, 1972
United Together: Greatest Hits 80's & 90's, 2002
The Great Aretha Franklin (disc 3)
Rare & Unreleased Recordings From the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul, 2007
Willing to Forgive / Jump to It, 1994
Spanish Harlem, 1998
Chain of Fools, 1993

This entry is automatically sourced from Musicbrainz external link , the public domain music database. Visit the Aretha Franklin page on Musicbrainz to correct or update this entry. Any changes made to the article will not be immediately available here. The ABC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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Recently Played on Dig Music.

2:00pm May 25

Song	Back To Living Again
Artist	Aretha Franklin
Album	New World Order
Label	Warners
Year	1996

6:26pm May 23

Song	The House That Jack Built
Artist	Aretha Franklin
Album	Aretha's Gold
Label	Atlantic
Year	1969

3:56am May 21

Song	Ain't No Way
Artist	Aretha Franklin
Album	Lady Soul
Label	Atlantic
Year	1968

8:50am May 19

Song	Chain Of Fools
Artist	Aretha Franklin
Album	Theme Time Radio Hour
Label	Ace/Shock
Year	1967

7:32pm May 16

Song	Day Dreamin'
Artist	Aretha Franklin
Album	Young Gifted And Black
Label	Atlantic
Year	1971

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