Awarded with the epithet “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin was a recipient of 18 Grammy Awards. This alone shows the powerhouse of the artist she was. She ruled the musical industry while she was alive, but even after her death, she continued to stay one of the best-selling selling artists of all time with more than 75 million of albums being sold worldwide and amongst the 50 best-selling musical artists.
Everything being said in her honour is an understatement because the legacy of music left behind by her will go down through the generations. With so many awards and honours in her name, Aretha Franklin is not merely a name, but a legend. Considering her deep devotion to the world of music, let’s explore more about her career in detail, along with her life and evaluation of her net worth.
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Aretha was born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA on 25th March 1942 in a family who was deeply involved in music and faith. Her father, C.L. Franklin, was a famous Baptist minister and a civil right activist, and her mother, Barbara Siggers Franklin, was a pianist and a gospel singer. She also had 4 siblings, 2 brothers and 2 sisters. While Aretha was young, her family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where her father became a pastor of the New Bethel Baptist Church.
In the 1940s, her parents separated, and her mother moved to Buffalo, New York, and later passed in 1952, when Aretha was only 10 years old. Post the death of her mother, the responsibility of raising the kids fell upon the father, and her family friends took care of the kids as well.
Just like her mother, Aretha too possessed extraordinary skills of piano and singing, and by the age of 12, she was already performing in public affairs. She never received a formal education because she was always on the road with her father travelling for his tour. She, however, was deeply connected to the church and its upbringing, with the exposure of blues legends and jazz that later led her to be one of the most blessed singers in history.
Her career began with performing in church, and when she was about 12 years old, she was already travelling with her father to perform and sing gospel music, and play piano. When she was 14 years old, her first album, “Songs of Faith,” was released in 1956 that paving her path to being a successful singer in the future.
By her father’s motivation, she moved to New York when she was 18 to take up music as a full-fledged career. After moving, she signed with Columbia Records in 1960 and recorded pop tracks and Jazz music with songs like “Today I Sing the blues” that established her as a singer.
Her major breakthrough came with the release of the song “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) in 1967, which she signed with Atlantic Records, and this made her win the title of “Queen of Soul.” In the very same year, another hit song of all time, “Respect,” a cover of Otis Redding, came out, and it immediately became the anthem for the women’s movement and civil rights, and this also won her two Grammy Awards.
Throughout the next decade, Aretha went on releasing timeless hits like “Chain of Fools.” “Think,” “A Natural Woman,”and “Rock Steady.” Her unique blending of jazz and pop music set a new trend in the world of American music. In 1970, she started to be forgotten because of the rise of the disco, but she adapted herself and in the 1980s, she did a comeback with songs like “Jump to It,’ “Freeway of Love,” and “I knew You Were Waiting (For Me) that topped the charts.
Her 1990s and 2000s went by receiving countless honours, awards, and acclamation. She received the Grammy Legend Award in 1991 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. She was even invited to perform at the national event for singing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” at the inauguration program of President Barack Obama in 2009. Her final album, “Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics,” was released in 2014 and was officially retired in 2017. She passed battling pancreatic cancer on 16th August 2018.
Her moment of limelight came when she recorded “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) in 1967 with Atlantic Records, which also made her win 2 Grammy Awards. Since then, she has constantly been in the spotlight.
Aretha married Ted White in 1961 when she was only 19 years old, but the marriage didn’t survive long due to domestic conflict, and they divorced in 1969. Both had a son, Ted White Jr. She again married Glynn Turman in 1978, but they got a divorce in 1984, but remained on good terms.
Apart from being in two marriages, Aretha was also involved in a long-term relationship, one with Ken Cunningham, and they both had a son together named Kecalf Cunningham. She is also said to have had two children when she was her teenager.
By the time of her death, Aretha had about $80 million, which she earned mainly from her singing career. She additionally earned money by performing in concerts and live performances and royalties.
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