Aretha Franklin

Franklin gave birth to her sons Clarence and Edward when she was a teenager. She never revealed the identity of their fathers. Her boys were raised by her grandmother and sister while she pursued her career in music.

From 1961-1969, she was married to Ted White, who was much older to her, despite objections from her father. The marriage did not work out and Franklin was subjected to domestic violence throughout their marriage.

In 1964, Franklin’s third son was born, Ted White, Jr., who is now famously known as Teddy Richards and is a famous musician. Four years from there, her fourth son Kecalf was born. His father is Ken Cunningham, her former manager.

Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Clarence LaVaughan ‘C.L.’ Franklin and Barbara Siggers Franklin. Her father was a Baptist preacher and mother was a gospel singer. She had 3 siblings and grew up in a religious household.

When Franklin was 5 years old, her family relocated to Detroit, Michigan where her father founded a Baptist church. When she was 6, her parents separated because of her father’s infamous promiscuity. Her mother moved to Buffalo.

When she was 10 years old, her mother died and her grandmother and aunts took care of her and her siblings. Her father was getting more and more famous for his sermons by this time and was known as the man with the ‘million-dollar voice’.

She started to learn how to play the piano on her own when she was only a little girl and her earliest songs were recorded at the church when she was only 14. She also used to sing on the revival tours of her father.

At the age of 14, Franklin’s talent for singing was recognized by her father who started managing her, to get her a recording deal. In 1956, her first album came out under J. V. B. Records label, ‘Songs of Faith’.

In 1960, Franklin was signed by the Columbia Records, after she persuaded her father to let her record pop music. Her popular single ‘Today I Sung the Blues’ was released in the same year - it reached the Hot Rhythm & Blue Sellers Chart.

In 1961, Franklin’s debut pop album came out with Columbia Records, titled ‘Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo’. The album was an instant hit with the American listeners and the hit single ‘Rock-a-bye’ catapulted her into an international star.

In 1962, the same recording company released two of her albums: ‘The Electrifying Aretha Franklin’ and ‘The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin’. By this time, she was called the ‘new-star female vocalist’ by A-list magazines.

From 1964-1966, Franklin released various hit singles like: ‘Runnin’ Out of Fools’, ‘One Step Ahead’, ‘Cry Like a Baby’, ‘You Made Me Love You’, etc. under Columbia Records. She also appeared on shows like Hollywood A Go-Go.

Franklin was the winner of 18 Grammy Awards; she received these awards between the period of 1968-2008, for hit singles like: ‘Respect’, ‘Don’t Play That Song’, ‘Freeway of Love’, ‘Wonderful’, ‘A House is Not A Home’, ‘Chain of Fools’, etc.

She was the winner of 3 American Music Awards in the category of ‘Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist’, in between the years 1976-1983. She was also the first female artist ever to have been inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.