Aretha Franklin

Starting her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, the 18 times Grammy winning artist is known for her hits like ‘Respect,' ’Freeway of Love’ and ‘I Say a Little Prayer’. Aretha Louise Franklin was born to an accomplished piano player & earned the title ' Queen of Soul.' Franklin recorded 112 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top-ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries, and 20 number-one R&B singles, becoming the most charted female artist in history. She is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

Franklin toured with her father's traveling revival show ‘gospel caravan' & went on to release several popular singles, many of which are now considered classics. She started recording at the age of 14, which were later released by a small label by the album ‘Songs of Faith’ in 1956. Signed with Columbia Records who released the album Aretha in 1961, the single ‘Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody,’ crossed over to No. 37 on the pop charts. Franklin received numerous honors throughout her career, including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was also inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2018, it was announced that Franklin had hand-picked singer and actress Jennifer Hudson to play her in an upcoming biopic.