Home Entertainment Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin dies at 76
Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin dies at 76
From NBC News
Aretha Franklin — the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, dubbed the Queen of Soul for powerful anthems like "Respect" and "Chain of Fools" — died on Thursday at her home in Detroit. She was 76 years old.
The singer's publicist confirmed the news to the Associated Press.
Earlier this week, members of her family had told NBC affiliate WDIV-TV in Detroit that she was "gravely ill." The station reported that Franklin had asked for prayers.
Born March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, to C.L. Franklin, the most prominent black Baptist preacher in America during the mid-20th century, and a gospel singer, Aretha Louise Franklin began performing in front of her father's congregation at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, which she considered her hometown. She became a star on gospel caravan tours with her father, a compelling preacher known as "The Million Dollar Voice," who became her manager when she was 14.
Franklin released her first album, "Songs of Faith," in 1956, scoring regional hits with two gospel songs and occasionally touring with The Soul Stirrers, whose star was Sam Cooke.
In 1960, Franklin followed Cooke into secular music, recording a handful of Top 10 hits on the R&B charts. It took seven years and a switch of labels, to Atlantic Records, however, for her career to fully blossom in 1967, beginning with "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," which hit No. 1 on the R&B charts and gave her first Top 10 pop single.
That April saw the release of "Respect," a cover of an Otis Redding song with a feminist bent and an irresistible hook — the simple spelling "R-E-S-P-E-C-T," which Franklin added. It quickly rocketed to No. 1 on the pop charts. Rolling Stone magazine later declared it the fifth-greatest song of all time.
Aretha Franklin in an undated portrait. RB / Redferns
The song became a soundtrack for both the civil rights and female-empowerment movements, and no one was more surprised by its success than Franklin herself.
"I was stunned when it went to number one," Franklin told Elle Magazine in April 2016. "And it stayed number one for a couple weeks. It was the right song at the right time."
"Respect" earned Franklin the first two of her 18 Grammy Awards, culminating in a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in 1994. But it was only the beginning of her success.
The following year, Franklin came out with two towering albums, "Lady Soul" and "Aretha Now," introducing timeless hits like "Chain of Fools" and "I Say a Little Prayer." More big — and culturally significant — albums followed through the 1970s, highlighted by "Young, Gifted & Black," winner of the 1972 Grammy for female R&B performance, and a return to her gospel roots, the double-platinum "Amazing Grace."
Other Top 10 singles included "Spanish Harlem," "Think" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," written by Carole King. Franklin performed it at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors in Washington before an audience that included King, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama — drawing a tear from the president and sheer elation from King.
"One of the three or four greatest nights of my life," Franklin told The New Yorker of that performance, which went viral on YouTube.
Franklin's live performances often had that effect. She was a supremely talented technical musician — a child prodigy on the piano, able to shift seamlessly from thunderous gospel chord progressions to propulsive R&B beats to bouncy jazz riffs.
Her voice was equally prodigious, a mezzo-soprano powerhouse that could gracefully handle gospel effusions and operatic bomb bursts — something all of America learned in 1998.
At the Grammy Awards that year, Luciano Pavarotti had been booked to perform his showstopper aria, "Nessun Dorma" from the final act of Puccini's "Turandot," but he canceled at the last minute. With the live show approaching, Franklin agreed to stand in for the man many consider the greatest operatic tenor of the 20th century.
Previous articleFrom world-class athlete to mentor: Delloreen Ennis
Next articleCookies and Milk with a Cop this weekend
Reggie Connell
http://TheApopkaVoice.com
Is secondhand screen time the new secondhand smoking?
Florida bill imposing stern school safety compliance requirements on districts advances
How to Make Different Types of Ribbon Trims
Fannie August 16, 2018 at 11:32 am
Mama Mia August 16, 2018 at 1:24 pm
I got a ding on my computer this morning, the sound bite notice, and the message that she had passed away. So sad to hear the sad ending for this great lady with the powerful voice. May she RIP.