MISGUIDED MAGAZINE SPRING 2020

VOL 4
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ARETHA FRANKLIN
Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist, who defined the
golden age of soul music of the 1960s. Franklin began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist
Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father C. L. Franklin was minister. Franklin’s musical gifts became
apparent at an early age. Largely self-taught, she was regarded as a child prodigy. A gifted pianist with a
powerful voice. At age 18, with her father’s blessing, Franklin switched from sacred to secular music. She
moved to New York City, where Columbia Records executive John Hammond arranged her recording contract.
While Franklin’s career did not immediately flourish, she found acclaim and commercial success after signing
with Atlantic Records in 1966, where producer Jerry Wexler allowed her to sculpt her own musical identity.
At Atlantic, Franklin returned to her gospel-blues roots, and the results were sensational. By the end of the
1960s, Aretha Franklin had come to be known as “The Queen of Soul”. In 1987 she became the first female
artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2008 she won her 18th Grammy Award, making
her one of the most honored artists in Grammy history.
Source: https://www.biography.com/musician/aretha-franklin and https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aretha-Franklin
Photo: thetimes.co.uk
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