Aretha Franklin

R&B/soul singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin's recording and performing career has spanned over 50 years, and she has recorded commercially successful singles in four consecutive decades (1950s-1990s).http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/aretha-franklin She has earned 18 Grammy Awards throughout her career and in 2008, Franklin topped a Rolling Stone poll of music industry professionals to be named the "Greatest Singer of the Rock Era."http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/61852568

Franklin sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee" during the inauguration ceremony for President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. Franklin expressed that she was excited "to be part of this special moment in American history and in African-American history."http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2009-01-13-inaugural-aretha_N.htm

Franklin was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals with Ronald Isley for the song "You've Got a Friend" at the 2011 Grammy Awards.http://mog.com/blog_post/content/3168/2579894

Nicknamed "The Queen of Soul," Franklin began her rise with the 1967 hit "Respect," which became her signature song and won her her first Grammy. After a string of hits in the 1960s and early 1970s, Franklin took a brief hiatus before returning to the spotlight in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers.http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/aretha-franklin.html

In November of 2010, Franklin was ordered by a doctor to an extended stay at a Detroit hospital for undisclosed reasons. As a result, Franklin canceled six months of tours. On December 2, 2010, Franklin had surgery, which was announced as a success. The reasons for the surgery were not specified by the singer's representatives.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101202/ap_en_mu/us_aretha_franklin_health A close friend of Franklin's revealed on December 8, 2010, that Franklin had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16809361 Despite her struggle with cancer, relatives claim that Franklin is "doing well."http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/12/aretha-franklins-family-says-she-is-doing-well/1 On December 9, 2010, it was announced that Franklin would be released from the hospital and that she was doing "better than expected."http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20447949,00.html

• 1956: The Gospel Soul of Aretha Franklin
• 1961: Aretha [1961]
• 1962: The Electrifying Aretha Franklin
• 1962: The Tender, The Moving, The Swinging Aretha Franklin
• 1963: Laughing on the Outside
• 1964: Runnin' Out of Fools
• 1964: Songs of Faith
• 1964: Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington
• 1965: Aretha Franklin Yeah!!! In Person with Her Quartet
• 1965: Once in a Lifetime
• 1967: Take It Like You Give It
• 1967: I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
• 1967: Aretha Arrives
• 1968: Aretha in Paris
• 1968: Lady Soul
• 1968: Aretha Now
• 1969: Aretha Franklin: Live!
• 1969: I Say a Little Prayer
• 1969: Soul '69
• 1970: Don't Play That Song
• 1970: This Girl's in Love with You
• 1971: Live at Fillmore West
• 1971: Young, Gifted and Black
• 1972: Amazing Grace
• 1973: Hey Now Hey: The Other Side of the Sky
• 1974: Let Me in Your Life
• 1974: With Everything I Feel in Me
• 1975: You
• 1976: Sparkle
• 1977: Most Beautiful Songs
• 1977: Satisfaction
• 1977: Sweet Passion
• 1978: Almighty Fire
• 1979: La Diva
• 1980: Aretha
• 1981: Love All the Hurt Away
• 1982: Jump to It
• 1983: Get It Right
• 1985: Who's Zoomin' Who?
• 1986: Aretha
• 1987: One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
• 1989: Through the Storm
• 1991: What You See Is What You Sweat
• 1998: A Rose Is Still a Rose
• 2001: Duets
• 2003: So Damn
• 2008: This Christmas (Borders)http://www.allmusic.com/artist/aretha-franklin-p4305/discography

• 1967 Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 1968 Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 1969 Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 1970 Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 1971 Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 1972 Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 1973 Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 1974 Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 1981 Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 1985 Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 1987 Grammy: Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Winner
• 1987 Grammy: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals - Winner
• 1967 Grammy: Best Rhythm & Blues Recording - Winner
• 1972 Grammy: Best Soul Gospel Performance - Winner
• 1988 Grammy: Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female - Winner
• 2003 Grammy: Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 2005 Grammy: Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance - Winner
• 2007 Grammy: Best Gospel Performance - Winner http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/aretha-franklin/bio/196070

“Trying to grow up is hurting, you know. You make mistakes. You try to learn from them, and when you don't, it hurts even more.”—Aretha Franklinhttp://thinkexist.com/quotes/aretha_franklin/

“I'm a big woman. I need big hair.”—Aretha Franklinhttp://thinkexist.com/quotes/aretha_franklin/

"“Music is my way of communicating that part of me I can get out front and share. It’s what I have to give; my way of saying let’s find one another.”—Aretha Franklinhttp://rockhall.com/inductees/aretha-franklin/bio/