Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin, the 'Queen of Soul,' was one of the most powerful and influential vocalists in American history. Raised in Detroit as the daughter of celebrity minister Rev. C.L. Franklin, she grew up surrounded by gospel music and the blues: her father's friends included Sam Cooke, Dinah Washington, and Clara Ward. After early recordings for Columbia that failed to capture her full power, she signed with Atlantic Records in 1967 and recorded the landmark sessions at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, that produced 'I Never Loved a Man,' 'Respect,' 'Chain of Fools,' and 'Think.' These recordings, rooted in the blues and gospel traditions, defined the sound of 1960s soul music. She won 18 Grammy Awards and was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.