Aretha Franklin

About Aretha Franklin

An icon of 20th and 21st century music, the voice of the civil rights movement, and the undisputed Queen of Soul—there is only one Aretha Franklin. In her incredible six-decade career, Aretha evolved from teenage gospel star to reigning pop and R&B diva, recording classics like “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Chain Of Fools”, “Think” (lyrics by Aretha Franklin), definitive versions of the songs “Respect” and “I Say a Little Prayer”, and global hits like “Freeway Of Love,” “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”, and “A Rose Is Still A Rose.”

Altogether, 112 of her singles reached the charts, with 20 No. 1 R&B singles, the most ever by a female artist. She won 18 Grammy Awards (including the first eight trophies for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance) and, out of recognition for her for indelible contribution to American music and culture, received both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Pulitzer Prize.