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Aretha Franklin

From Discogs:

Singer, pianist and songwriter, born 25 March 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee. Widely regarded as one of the best female soul vocalists of all time, she is nicknamed the Queen of Soul or simply referred to as Aretha. In 1987 she was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Performer).Daughter of Reverend C.L. Franklin. Sister of Carolyn Franklin and Erma Franklin.

From Lastfm:

Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942) is a Memphis, Tennessee-born but Detroit, Michigan-raised American iconic gospel, soul, and R&B singer. Many have called her "The Queen Of Soul" and "Lady Soul". She is renowned for her soul and R&B recordings but is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, and gospel. She is generally regarded as one of the best vocalists ever by such industry publications/media outlets as Rolling Stone and VH1, due to her phenomenal technical and interpretive talents.

Adept at the piano as well as having a gifted voice, Franklin became a child prodigy. By the age of fourteen, she signed a record deal with Battle Records, where her father Reverend C.L. Franklin recorded his sermons and gospel vocal recordings, and she issued Songs of Faith in 1956.

She is the second most honored female popular singer in Grammy history (after Alison Krauss), having won eighteen competitive Grammys (including an unprecedented eleven for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, eight of them consecutive). The state of Michigan has declared her voice to be a natural wonder.

Franklin is perhaps best-known for her interpretation of Otis Redding's Respect, recorded in 1967 with sisters Carolyn Franklin and Erma Franklin. Many of her songs, however, were originals that have since been covered by other artists. Some of her best-known compositions include (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone, Ain't No Way, All the King's Horses, Baby, Baby, Baby, Call Me, Dr. Feelgood, Rock Steady, Spirit In The Dark, and Think (which she performed in the film The Blues Brothers).

From Wikipedia:

Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as The Queen of Soul. Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B and gospel music. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Franklin No. 1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time.

Franklin is one of the most honored artists by the Grammy Awards, with 18 competitive Grammys to date, and two honorary Grammys. She has scored a total of 20 No. 1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, one of which also became her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100: "Respect" (1967). "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987), a duet with George Michael, became her second No. 1 on the latter chart. Since 1961, Franklin has scored a total of 45 "Top 40" hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Franklin has the most million-selling singles of any female artist with 14. Franklin has the female record for the most #1 R&B albums.

In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Franklin was the only featured singer at the 2009 presidential inauguration for Barack Obama.