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Aretha Franklin


Aretha Franklin | White House | tc113

Aretha Franklin wipes a tear after being honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005, during ceremonies at the White House, Washington DC, USA. Present are fellow recipients Robert Conquest, left, and Alan Greenspan. Wikipedia

Singer, songwriter, diva, activist and pianist Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 25, 1942 to a religious and musical family. Her first recordings were of gospel music, made while she was in her teens. Her father was The Rev. Clarence LaVaughn Franklin. She was born in Memphis but the family moved to New York when Aretha was 2, and then to Detroit. Her singing career has been remarkable; she had a total of 88 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries and twenty number-one R&B singles, making her the most charted female artist in the chart’s history. Her early gospel recording of “Precious Lord” was released on Checker records.

Miss Franklin died from a type of pancreatic cancer in Detroit, Michigan, on August 16, 2018.

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