Born poor on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, Aretha passed away at age 76 worth about $80 million in Detroit at home among her family, Aretha was a stunning Diva now she belongs to the ages. Her soaring, sweet, melodic, complex voice entertained us and triggered our emotions and wonderment that so perfect a voice was among us. She had a tremendous career that spanned the globe; included heads of state and who was welcomed into the homes of millions of fans. She rose to stardom in the 1960s after signing first with Columbia Records and then Atlantic Records. She would go on to record 42 studio albums and win 18 Grammy Awards, including eight consecutive Grammy Awards for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance. Over the course of her career she also charted 73 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with songs like “Respect,” “Chain of Fools,” and “Think”, the most of any female artist ever and the ninth-most of all artists. In 1987 she became the first woman ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. One incredible woman.

One of the things that made Aretha so great was her impressive vocal range. She could sing notes spanning well over three octaves – and some people even argue she could sing up to four octaves. Sarah Brightman has a three octave range. Sinatra a few notes over two octaves. Elvis had a vocal range of two and a half octaves. His voice had wonderful control, tone and vibrato and he had the ability to cross genres effortlessly. Record producer John Owen Williams says of Elvis:

People talk of his range and power, his ability and ease in hitting the high notes. But the real difference between Elvis and other singers was that he could sing majestically in any style, be it rock, country, or R&B – because he had soul. He sang from the heart. And that is what made him the greatest singer in the history of popular music.
Elvis had a brilliant ability to control the attack and ending of each note. If we listen the 1954 Sun Records recording of Blue Moon of Kentucky we can hear Elvis using a technique known as “glottal onset and offset” – a technique in which the vocal folds in the larynx are closed at the start of a note and closed with extra emphasis at the end of the note – to achieve clarity of attack and an amazing rhythmic bounce in his vocal performance. That ability to drive the rhythm is also present in the 1963 hit Viva Las Vegas in which Elvis effortlessly accents the melody to give a rhythmic shape to each phrase.

A crucial element in Elvis’ sonic signature was his use of vibrato. The final Battle Hymn of the Republic’ segment of the 1972 recording of An American Trilogy features the sound of his vocal folds vibrating together in all their glory creating a sound that has been much copied in pop music but never bettered.

But then there’s Aretha, the Queen of Soul whose voice and interpretations were simply the greatest. She could take any song and bring such a level of intensity to her performance that all audiences could do was stand back and gasp and surrender to her extraordinary power and passion. Her career was filled with glittering highlights. We are richer for her life.

At the Grammys in 1998, the legendary soul singer stepped in – at the last minute – for Pavarotti, who had been due to sing his trademark piece, Nessun Dorma. So obviously she went ahead and performed that aria.

‘Nessun Dorma’ is one of the most impressive of tenor arias – with an astronomically high top B at the climax of the aria.

It’s also an operatic tenor role. Aretha Franklin is, clearly, neither an opera singer, nor a tenor.

But that did not stop her performing the aria at the Grammys in 1998. Well, it would have been a shame to send the choir home. 

This might be the most Aretha Franklin thing that has ever happened. 

The black NFL kneelers should take note of Aretha. She performed at the inauguration ceremonies for three US presidents. Particularly memorable was her great version, decked out in a fur coat and a church hat, of My Country ‘Tis Of Thee at Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Her records sold millions of copies and the music industry couldn’t honor her enough. Franklin won 18 Grammy awards. In 1987, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. President George W. Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2005.

Aretha made a surprise appearance at the Kennedy Center in 2015 to honour Carole King, the singer and songwriter, with Barack and Michelle Obama in attendance.

As she sang “(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman”, which was written by King but became a breakout hit for Franklin in 1967, Mr Obama wiped away a tear as his wife looked on, captivated by the performance.
She went on tour with Martin Luther King jnr singing in the churches that he visited. She sang at King’s funeral and Respect, written by Otis Redding and re-crafted with a feminist assertiveness, became a song for the Civil Rights Movement as well as a battle cry for the feminist movement.

In 1980 she fulfilled her father’s dream by singing to Queen Elizabeth in a Royal Albert Hall Performance. That same year, masquerading as a waitress, she stole the show with a sizzling performance of Think in The Blues Brothers movie.

Franklin won 20 Grammy awards, including three special awards, over the course of her career.
Franklin won 20 Grammy awards, including three special awards, over the course of her career.

In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame. It’s obvious she had a weight problem but it was her voice that got our attention.

Her voice made our hearts sing. Our souls are better because of Aretha. 
Selfish of me, rather, … yes.

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