Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942)
is an American
R&B and
soul singer, songwriter, and
pianist. She is known to her fans as the "
Queen of Soul"
and is also affectionately called "Sister Ree". She is renowned for her soul recordings but is also adept at
jazz,
rock,
blues,
pop and
gospel. She is widely acclaimed for her passionate, soulful vocal style, which is aided by a massive and powerful vocal range. The American magazine
Rolling Stone ranks her as the Greatest Singer of All Time.
Franklin is the second most honored female singer in Grammy history (after
Alison Krauss). She has won twenty
Grammy Awards, which includes the Living Legend Grammy and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy. Aretha won eight consecutive awards between 1968 and 1975,
[ during which time the category of Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was nicknamed "The Aretha Award".]
Franklin has had a total of twenty number-one singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, two of which became #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 as well: "Respect" in the 1960s and her 1980s duet with George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)".
