Aretha Franklin Bio (Biography)
Real name:
Aretha Louise Franklin
Date of birth:
March 25. 1942
Place of birth:
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Astrology Sign:
Aries
Height:
5' 5''
Hair color:
Black
Eye color:
Black
Fathers name:
Reverend Clarence L. Franklin (d. 1984)
Mothers name:
Barbara Franklin
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Biography
Aretha Franklin is an American singer and songwriter well known for her contributions to the musical genres of soul, R&B and gospel. She is one of the most famous vocalists of all time, and is talented in many genres such as jazz, rock, blues and opera in addition to those she is most known for. She also has the second highest number of Grammy awards of any female singer.
Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1942 but grew up in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of a well known preacher father and a mother who was a pianist and singer. As a child, she sang in the choir, becoming a featured soloist by age twelve. She recorded her first album, "The Gospel Sound of Aretha Franklin", in 1956 at the age of fourteen. Her singer career was temporarily put on hold when she became pregnant at fifteen, but three years later her grandmother decided to take care of Aretha Franklin's children so Aretha could pursue a musical career in New York City.
Aretha Franklin was able to quickly gain the interest of a number of record labels, and signed to Columbia for six years. However, the Columbia albums were unsuccessful, largely because they focused on pop tunes instead of the gospel and blues sound that was Aretha Franklin's trademark. In 1966, Aretha Franklin went to Atlantic Records, and started to create hits such as "Respect", "Chain of Fools", "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman", "Think", and "I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Loved You)". For the next two decades, Aretha Franklin would drift back and forth between pop tunes and gospel, with varying degrees of success. However, she didn't regain the same level of popularity she had during the early Atlantic Records period until 1985, when she released the album "Who's Zoomin' Who?" and the top ten ranking songs "Another Night", "Who's Zoomin' Who", and "Freeway of Love".
In 1987, Aretha Franklin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; she was the first woman to do so. Her output over the next twenty years was increasingly sporadic, but she continues to make occasional appearances, most often in duets and with other featured singers. Aretha Franklin remains one of the most awarded singers of all time, with eleven Grammys for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, eight of which were awarded consecutively.
Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1942 but grew up in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of a well known preacher father and a mother who was a pianist and singer. As a child, she sang in the choir, becoming a featured soloist by age twelve. She recorded her first album, "The Gospel Sound of Aretha Franklin", in 1956 at the age of fourteen. Her singer career was temporarily put on hold when she became pregnant at fifteen, but three years later her grandmother decided to take care of Aretha Franklin's children so Aretha could pursue a musical career in New York City.
Aretha Franklin was able to quickly gain the interest of a number of record labels, and signed to Columbia for six years. However, the Columbia albums were unsuccessful, largely because they focused on pop tunes instead of the gospel and blues sound that was Aretha Franklin's trademark. In 1966, Aretha Franklin went to Atlantic Records, and started to create hits such as "Respect", "Chain of Fools", "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman", "Think", and "I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Loved You)". For the next two decades, Aretha Franklin would drift back and forth between pop tunes and gospel, with varying degrees of success. However, she didn't regain the same level of popularity she had during the early Atlantic Records period until 1985, when she released the album "Who's Zoomin' Who?" and the top ten ranking songs "Another Night", "Who's Zoomin' Who", and "Freeway of Love".
In 1987, Aretha Franklin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; she was the first woman to do so. Her output over the next twenty years was increasingly sporadic, but she continues to make occasional appearances, most often in duets and with other featured singers. Aretha Franklin remains one of the most awarded singers of all time, with eleven Grammys for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, eight of which were awarded consecutively.