  Aretha Franklin is the
undisputed "Queen of Soul" with a
career spanning 5 decades. Whether singing
R&B, jazz, blues, pop, hip-hop, and even
opera, Aretha demonstrates a command of her
material and voice that stands alone in the
world of music. Aretha was born March 25,
1942 in Memphis, later growing up in Detroit.
Music influences came early for Aretha with
her father being a pastor at a Baptist church
where she sang. By age 14, Aretha recorded The
Gospel Sound Of Aretha Franklin when she
was 14. Aretha's professional career began
with Columbia Records in 1960, but flourished
when she signed with Atlantic Records in
1966.
Aretha hit the R&B charts
with "Today I Sing The Blues."
 Aretha hit the R&B and pop
charts with "Won't Be Long,"
"Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie
Melody," and "Operation
Heartbreak."
Aretha
(The Great Aretha Franklin - The First 12
Sides) was released.
Aretha hit the R&B and pop
charts with "I Surrender Dear,"
"Rough Lover," "Don't Cry
Baby," "Try A Little
Tenderness," and "Trouble In
Mind."
The Electrifying Aretha
Franklin and The Tender, The Moving,
The Swinging Aretha Franklin were
released.
 Unforgettable
- A Tribute To Dinah Washington was released.
Runnin' Out Of Fools
was released.
Aretha hit the R&B and pop
charts with "Runnin' Out Of Fools,"
"Cry Like A Baby," "Can't You
Just See Me," "One Step
Ahead," and "Mockingbird."
 Yeah!
Aretha Franklin In Person was released.
Aretha hit the charts with
"Take A Look."
Soul Sister was
released.
Aretha hit the R&B and pop
charts with "I Never Loved A Man (The
Way I Love You)" which became her first
Top 10 pop hit and spent 7 weeks at #1 on the
R&B charts. Aretha also had hits with
"Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,"
"Les Cross," "Baby I
Love," "Soulville," "Take
A Look," and the classics
"Respect," "You Make Me Feel
Like) A Natural Woman," and "Chain
Of Fools."
 Take It Like You Give It,
I
Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You, Aretha Franklin's
Greatest Hits, Aretha
Arrives, and Take A Look were
released.
Aretha topped the Billboard Hot
100 charts for 2 weeks with
"Respect."
Aretha had hits with
"(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been
Gone," "Ain't No Way,"
"Think," "You Send Me,"
"The House That Jack Built,"
"I Say A Little Prayer," "See
Saw," and "My Song."
Aretha won 2 Grammy Awards including Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female and Best Rhythm & Blues
Recording ("Respect").
Lady
Soul and the live LP Aretha
In Paris were released.
 Aretha
Now was released.
Aretha hit the charts with
"The Weight," "Tracks Of My
Tears," "I Can See Myself Leaving
You," "Gentle On My Mind,"
"Share Your Love With Me," and
"Eleanor Rigby."
Aretha won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Chain Of Fools").
 Aretha
Franklin: Soul '69 and Aretha's
Gold were released.
Aretha had hits with
"Spirit In The Dark," "Call
Me," "Don't Play That Song (You
Lied)," and "Border Song (Holy
Moses)."
This
Girl's In Love With You was released.
Aretha won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Share Your Love With
Me").
Spirit
In The Dark was released.
 Aretha hit the charts with
"You're All I Need To Get By,"
"Bridge Over Troubled Water,"
"Spanish Harlem," "Rock
Steady," and "Oh Me Oh My (I'm A
Fool For You Baby)."
Aretha won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Don't Play That
Song").
Aretha
Live At Fillmore West, Aretha's Greatest
Hits, and Young,
Gifted And Black were released.
Aretha had R&B and pop hits
with "Day Dreaming," "All The
Kings Horses," and "Wholly
Holy."
Aretha won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Bridge Over Troubled
Water").
 Amazing
Grace and In The Beginning / The
World Of Aretha Franklin 1960-1967 were
released.
Aretha hit the charts with
"Master Of Eyes,"
"Angel," and "Until You Come
Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)."
Aretha won 2 Grammy Awards including Best Soul
Gospel Performance (Amazing
Grace) and Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female (Young,
Gifted And Black).
 Hey
Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky) was released.
Aretha had hits with "I'm
In Love," "Ain't Nothing Like The
Real Thing," "Without Love,"
and "With Everything I Feel In Me."
Aretha won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Master Of Eyes").
 Let
Me In Your Life and With Everything I Feel
In Me were released.
Aretha had R&B hits with
"Mr. D.J." and "You."
Aretha won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Ain't Nothing Like The
Real Thing").
You was released.
Aretha had hits with
"Something He Can Feel" and
"Jump."
 Sparkle:
Music From The Warner Bros. Motion Picture and Ten Years Of
Gold were released.
Aretha hit the R&B charts
with "Look Into Your Heart,"
"Break It To Me Gently," and
"When I Think About You."
Sweet Passion was
released.
 Aretha hit the R&B charts
with "Almighty Fire" and "More
Than Just A Joy."
Almighty Fire was
released.
Aretha hit the R&B charts
with "Ladies Only" and "Half A
Love."
La Diva was released.
 Aretha signed with Arista
Records.
Aretha hit the charts with
"United Together," "What A
Fool Believes," and "Come To
Me."
Aretha appeared in the hit film The
Blues Brothers.
 Aretha and Aretha
Sings The Blues were released.
 # 120
Singles Artist of the Year
Aretha hit the Top 40 with
"United Together."
Aretha was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Can't Turn You
Lose").
Aretha had hits with "Love
All The Hurt Away" with George Benson, and "It's My
Turn."
 Love
All The Hurt Away was released.
 # 131
Singles Artist of the Year
Aretha won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Hold On I'm
Comin'").
 Jump
To It was released.
Aretha hit the Top 40 with
"Jump To It."
 # 212
Singles Artist of the Year
Aretha won an American Music
Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Album (Jump
To It) and was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Female
Artist
and Favorite Soul/R&B
Single
("Jump To It").
Aretha was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Jump To It").
Aretha had hits with "This
Is For Real," "Get It Right,"
and "Every Girl (Wants My Guy)."
Get
It Right was released.
Aretha won an American Music
Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female
Artist.
Aretha was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female (Get
It Right).
 # 17
Singles Artist of the Year
Aretha returned to the Top 10 on
the pop and R&B charts with "Freeway
Of Love" and "Who's Zoomin'
Who" and had a hit with the Eurythmics on "Sisters Are
Doin' It For Themselves."
 30
Greatest Hits and Who's
Zoomin' Who? were released.
 # 74
Singles Artist of the Year
Aretha won 2 American Music
Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Female
Artist
and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Video
Artist, and was nominated for Favorite
Pop/Rock Female Video Artist and Favorite
Soul/R&B Video ("Freeway Of
Love").
Aretha had hits with
"Another Night," "Ain't Nobody
Ever Loved You," and "Jumpin' Jack
Flash."
Aretha won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Freeway Of Love")
and was nominated for Best R&B Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group ("Sisters Are
Doin' It For Themselves" with Eurythmics).
The video for "Freeway Of
Love" was nominated for a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Female Video.
 Aretha was released.
 # 60
Singles Artist of the Year
Aretha was nominated for an American Music
Award for Favorite
Soul/R&B Female Video Artist.
Aretha was the first woman
inducted into the Rock
& Roll Hall of Fame.
Aretha had R&B hits with
"Jimmy Lee,"
"Rock-A-Lott," and "If You
Need My Love Tonight."
Aretha topped the Billboard Hot
100 charts with George Michael for 2 weeks with
"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)."
 One
Lord One Faith One Baptism was released.
The video for "Jumpin' Jack
Flash" was nominated for a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Video from a Film.
Aretha had a R&B hit with The
Four Tops on "If Ever A Love
There Was."
 Aretha won 2 Grammy Awards including Best R&B
Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("I Knew You Were
Waiting (For Me)" with George Michael) and Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female (Aretha).
 # 122
Singles Artist of the Year
Aretha hit the Top 40 dueting
with Elton
John on "Through The Storm."
 Through
The Storm was released.
Aretha won a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel
Performance, Female (One
Lord One Faith One Baptism).
Whitney hit the Top 40 with Whitney Houston with
"It Isn't, It Wasn't, It
Ain't Never Gonna Be."
Aretha was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female (Through
The Storm) and Best R&B Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group ("It Isn't, It Wasn't, It
Ain't Never Gonna Be" with Whitney
Houston and "Gimme Your Love"
with James
Brown).
Aretha had R&B hits with
"Everyday People," "Someone
Else's Eyes," and "Ever Changing
Time" with Michael
McDonald.
What
You See Is What You Sweat was released.
Aretha was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female (What
You See Is What You Sweat) and Best R&B Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group ("Doctor's
Orders" with Luther Vandross).
 The box set Queen
Of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings was released.
 # 80
Singles Artist of the Year
Greatest
Hits (1980-1994) was released.
Aretha was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Someday We'll All Be
Free").
Aretha hit the Top 40 with
"A Deeper Love."
The
Very Best Of Aretha Franklin: The 60's and The
Very Best Of Aretha Franklin: The 70's were released.
Aretha hit the Top 40 with
" Willing To Forgive."
 Aretha was nominated for a Grammy Award for
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