Aretha Franklin

The voice of Aretha Franklin is a torrent of emotion and power that can be felt from the first notes. From a young age, in the Baptist church in Detroit where her father was a pastor, her way of singing gospel already drew attention. She learned to play the piano by ear, a skill that would accompany her all her life and would be reflected in the way she accompanied herself in many of her recordings. Her talent led her to sign with Columbia Records at the age of 18, but it was when she joined Atlantic Records in 1966 that her career truly took off. It was there where she recorded albums that defined her sound, such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Lady Soul and Aretha Now, in the 1960s, and later Young, Gifted and Black and Amazing Grace in the 70s.

Her time at Atlantic Records was prolific, but in 1979 she moved to Arista Records. In this new stage, her music found new momentum with hits like Jump to It and Who's Zoomin' Who?. Throughout her career, Aretha Franklin sold over 75 million records worldwide. Her songs constantly appeared on the Billboard charts, achieving 17 top-ten singles in pop and 20 number-one hits in R&B. While her rendition of Respect became her signature song, other tracks like (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Chain of Fools and Think are equally well-known and cherished.