Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin possessed the most commanding voice in American popular music, a force of nature that turned songs into statements and made her the permanent, undisputed Queen of Soul. Born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Detroit by her father, the renowned Baptist preacher C.L. Franklin, she was singing gospel before she was a teenager. She signed with Atlantic Records in 1967 and transformed overnight into a phenomenon — her recording of "Respect" that year became both a massive hit and an anthem of Black pride and women's empowerment. She won an unprecedented 18 Grammy Awards, including eleven for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and in 1987 became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her range spanned gospel, R&B, soul, pop, and classical, and she performed at the inaugurations of Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama — at the latter, her rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" wearing a spectacular hat became an instant cultural moment. Rolling Stone twice named her the greatest singer of all time. Franklin died of pancreatic cancer on August 16, 2018, in Detroit.