After being diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer, Aretha Franklin lost her battle on Aug. 16, 2018. Dubbed the Queen of Soul, she had an amazing career that lasted over 60 years. Over a long and illustrious career she received multiple awards for her music and contributions to society. Eighteen Grammy awards highlight her career in the music industry; she also received an award for excellence from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was the recipient of the John F. Kennedy Center Honors in 1994, to name a few. To top it all off, Franklin was the first female performer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Franklin’s career took off while she was traveling with her father, a Baptist minister, in 1960 when she signed with Columbia Records. She recorded her first album at 14, but her first hit was a rendition of Otis Redding’s “Respect.” The song was originally very sexual in nature, but she spun it to become a soulful song about respect of a culture and it hit the top of the charts in 1967. Throughout the years she had multiple number one hits including: “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” (1967), “Chain of Fools” (1968), “Freeway of Love” (1980) and “I Knew You Were Waiting” (1987). Franklin had the largest number of top forty hits for a female artist at 45 singles on the charts.
Franklin’s music was rooted in blues and gospel. Gospel was her ticket into the music industry singing alongside her father. As her career progressed, so did her style of music. She stuck with her roots in the blues and it brought her to the top of the charts; even when record labels tried having her perform pop songs, she never strayed from the blues life.
Throughout the years Franklin performed for many audiences, including several presidents of the United States. The last president she performed for was Barack Obama at his inauguration in 2009. Before that, she sang at the pre-inaugurations of Jimmy Carter (1977) and Bill Clinton (1993). She also sang at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s memorial service in 1968.
After an amazing career, it’s only fitting that the Queen of Soul had a memorial service fit for a queen. Family, friends and admirers gathered to say their goodbyes; artists performed her number one hits during the service, sending her off with love and respect. The Queen of Soul may no longer be here to sing the gospels and the blues, but her legacy will live on through her music.