Aretha Franklin is an American singer whose current Net Worth is $60 million. She was born on March 25th, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee (USA), although almost all her childhood was in Detroit, Michigan.
The daughter of the gospel singer, who was also one of the most recognized Baptist priests, Reverend Clarence LaVaughn Franklin, and gospel singer Barbara Franklin. She was heavily influenced by this type of music almost from her birth.
Early life.
At the age of eight, she already knew how to play the piano. Her mother, Barbara Siggers passed away when Aretha was fifteen. At the same year, Aretha had her first child, two years later she had the second one.
Aretha had spent her childhood singing at church, and at the age of fourteen recorded her first album for Checker (The Gospel Soul of Aretha Franklin).
Her first recordings.
She signed with Columbia in 1961 and the Record Company oriented her career to jazz, although she was not destined to follow that path, but to mark an era with her own style and her extraordinary voice. She was raised listening to blues and gospel. She was nicknamed “Lady Soul”. She finally recorded 10 albums with this company, although the results did not fulfill Aretha Franklin’s ambitions, since the label did not take full advantage of the singer and the records they published were quite irregular, playing all possible genres, but always looking for commercial pop.
New era.
After finishing her contract with Columbia, she signed for Atlantic Records. In this record label, and thanks to the know-how of the producer Jerry Wexler, Aretha Franklin obtained her first great successes, returning to her Rhythm and Blues origins. In 1967 appeared the album “I’ve never loved a man”, the record that took her directly to the top of the fame, earning the nickname of the Queen of Soul. With the single entitled “Respect” she won two Grammy Awards, as well as being a song used at the time by groups fighting for the civil rights and racism in the United States.
Consolidated career.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Aretha Franklin won countless Grammy awards, the result of hits such as “Spanish Harlem”, “Angel”, “Call me” or “Do not play that song”.
After a few dark years, in 1980, she participated in the film “The Blues Brothers”, in which, in addition to acting, also yields the song “Think”, included in the soundtrack of the film. This performance was the Aretha Franklin’s reborn, giving her an introduction to a new generation for her music.
Subsequent to this work, and after signing for Arista, she produced two new albums, “Aretha” and “Love all the hurt away”, with a great success among the audience.
Her latest album published in 2003, bears the title of “So Damn Happy”, this an album full of energy. It is considered by many as one of the best in Aretha Franklin’s musical career.
