Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin was an American singer and songwriter known as "The Queen of Soul." Franklin began singing in her father's congregation as a young girl and released her first album, Songs of Faith, in 1956. She originally signed with Columbia Records in 1961 before moving over to Atlantic Records in 1967, where she found immediate success with her hit, "I've Never Loved a Man."

Franklin's first number one hit came that same year with her cover of Otis Redding's "Respect," which also won Franklin her first two Grammy Awards. The song subsequently became a civil rights anthem throughout the late '60s and '70s. Some of Franklin's other Top 10 hits include "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)," (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone," "Baby I Love You'' and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."

Franklin won 18 Grammy Awards throughout her career — eight of which were consecutive wins for best R&B female vocal performance from 1967 to 1974. Additionally, she received invitations to sing at the inauguration of three U.S. presidents, including Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She died on August 16, 2018, at the age of 76.