Editor's Note: While there are big gaps between positions as we get high up into the stratosphere of female artists, another hit or two will move #5 past #4.
Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and the family relocated to Buffalo, New York when she was two. Three years later, the Franklins moved to Detroit, Michigan, where they made their permanent home. Aretha began her career in gospel music at her father, minister C.L. Franklin's church (New Bethel) as a child. She learned to play piano by ear. When Aretha was 14, her father became her manager, bringing her on his gospel caravan tours to perform in various churches around the country.
In 1956, Aretha signed a recording contract with J.V.B. Records and released the album Songs of Faith.
Aretha had already made an impact on gospel music. In 1960, Franklin set out to conquer the rest of the world. She signed a recording contract first with Columbia Records in 1960 and enjoyed the Top 10 R&B hit "Today I Sing the Blues". Franklin released her debut album Aretha: With the Ray Bryant Combo in 1961. It was a modest beginning, with the single "Won't Be Long" reaching #76 overall and #7 on the R&B chart.
Franklin sang several different styles on her debut, and landed her first Top 40 hit (#37) with "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody". In 1962, Franklin released the albums The Electrifying Aretha Franklin and The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin.
Aretha scored another Top 10 R&B chart with "Runnin' Out of Fools" in 1965, and was attracting large audiences in nightclubs and theaters. She also appeared on television shows such as Hollywood A Go-Go and Shindig!
Most of the time, Grammy Awards for Best Vocal Performance are given for one song. Occasionally, the Academy will recognize an entire album in the category, and such was the case for Aretha for her great album Young, Gifted & Black, which was honored for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Franklin's 1972 live album Amazing Grace sold over two million copies, and won the Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance. Franklin took this Stevie Wonder song to #1 on the R&B chart, #3 overall, and #8 in Canada in 1974. Here's Franklin's 14th Gold single.
In 1973, Aretha released the album Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), and won another Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Master of Eyes". This song only reached #28 in 1976, but it is a fan favorite--"Something He Can Feel".
Franklin released the album Let Me in Your Life in 1974, which resulted in another Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her cover of "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing".
Up until this time, Aretha had only received Grammy Awards. But with the advent of the American Music Awards, she garnered Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist. She no doubt would have won that honor several years in her prime had the award existed. Franklin won the same honor the following year at the American Music Awards.
Franklin released her first album for Arista, Aretha. Her cover of Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" was nominated at the Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Her next album, Love All the Hurt Away, included a great duet of the title track with George Benson.
In 1983, Franklin released the album Get It Right, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
In 1985, the government of the state of Michigan labeled Franklin as a "natural resource". In 1987, Aretha became the first female performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Video Artist.
In 1987, Franklin and George Michael recorded this duet, and it became Aretha's second career #1--"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". The multi-format smash also landed at #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #5 on the R&B chart in the U.S., and gave Franklin her first career #1 in both the U.K. and Australia, and a #4 song in Canada.
Franklin received the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her album Aretha, and Aretha and Michael won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. In 1988, Franklin released the gospel album One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, and she won the Grammy for Best Female Soul Gospel Performance.
In 1989, Aretha released the album Through the Storm, nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. A duet with her goddaughter, Whitney Houston ("It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna' Be"), resulted in a Grammy nomination for the two legends for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. Franklin received another nomination in the category for her work with James Brown on "Gimme' (sic) Your Love".
In 1990, Franklin was honored with the Grammy Legend Award. The following year, she released the album What You See Is What You Sweat. Franklin collaborated with Luther Vandross on the song "Doctor's Orders", which was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, and Franklin received another nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In 1993, Aretha recorded "Someday We'll All Be Free" for the album Malcolm X, and she was rewarded with a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
In 1994, Franklin received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a medal from the Kennedy Center Honors. Aretha was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "A Deeper Love".
She had mounted an amazing comeback, but that would be the final Top 10 song for the great Queen of Soul. In 1998, Aretha received acclaim throughout the world for singing the opera aria "Nessun Dorma" at the Grammy Awards, replacing Luciano Pavarotti. Also in 1998, Aretha scored another Gold album with A Rose Is Still a Rose. and was nominated at the Grammys for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her work on the album.
In 1999, Franklin earned the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States government. Aretha teamed up with Mary J. Blige for the song "Don't Waste Your Time", honored at the Grammy Award by a nomination in the field of Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
In 2009, Aretha gave a great performance of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" at the U.S. presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. The following year, Franklin received an honorary degree from Yale University. In 2011, Franklin was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for her work with Ronald Isley on their cover of "You've Got a Friend".
In 2012, Aretha was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Aretha is now reunited with Clive Davis at RCA Records and is working on a new album.
Franklin has enjoyed 77 Hot 100 hits, more than any other female artist in the Rock Era. If that were the sole criterion, she would be at the top. Where Aretha loses ground to others in this range is that only 17 of the 77 were Top 10 songs, while she scored two career #1's. Franklin has won 18 Grammy Awards in her fabulous career (out of 35 nominations), and four American Music Awards out of eight nominations. She has sold 75 million albums worldwide, or approximately the same as Enya.
Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and the family relocated to Buffalo, New York when she was two. Three years later, the Franklins moved to Detroit, Michigan, where they made their permanent home. Aretha began her career in gospel music at her father, minister C.L. Franklin's church (New Bethel) as a child. She learned to play piano by ear. When Aretha was 14, her father became her manager, bringing her on his gospel caravan tours to perform in various churches around the country.
In 1956, Aretha signed a recording contract with J.V.B. Records and released the album Songs of Faith.
Aretha had already made an impact on gospel music. In 1960, Franklin set out to conquer the rest of the world. She signed a recording contract first with Columbia Records in 1960 and enjoyed the Top 10 R&B hit "Today I Sing the Blues". Franklin released her debut album Aretha: With the Ray Bryant Combo in 1961. It was a modest beginning, with the single "Won't Be Long" reaching #76 overall and #7 on the R&B chart.
Franklin sang several different styles on her debut, and landed her first Top 40 hit (#37) with "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody". In 1962, Franklin released the albums The Electrifying Aretha Franklin and The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin.
Aretha scored another Top 10 R&B chart with "Runnin' Out of Fools" in 1965, and was attracting large audiences in nightclubs and theaters. She also appeared on television shows such as Hollywood A Go-Go and Shindig!
Franklin changed course in 1967, deciding to sign a new deal with Atlantic Records. As it turned out, this was a key move for her. In 1967, Aretha released the single "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", and it gave Franklin her first Top 10 hit (#9), a #1 R&B smash, and #5 in Canada. The song also was Aretha's first Gold record.
Franklin then would set herself on a path to superstardom, releasing the single "Respect". And respect indeed was given. It shot up to #1 on both the Popular and R&B charts, selling over one million copies, and is one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.
"Respect" also hit #1 on the R&B chart, and it was #3 in Canada and #10 in the U.K. Aretha won Grammy Awards for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The song became an anthem for women and minorities, and it thus became one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*. Franklin's Atlantic debut album, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, went Gold and reached #2 on the Album chart.
Aretha collected a third straight Top 10 song when "Baby I Love You" went to #4 and sold over one million copies. It was Franklin's third consecutive #1 on the R&B chart, which is also factored into the methodology for this special, and peaked at #3 in Canada.
Two releases later, Franklin was back in the Top 10 with another incredible vocal performance--"A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like), which got to #8. It hit #2 on the R&B chart and #11 in Canada.
In 1968, Aretha released the #2 album Lady Soul, which contained one of her biggest career hits, "Chain Of Fools", a Gold record and a #2 smash. The song became Franklin's fourth #1 R&B hit and it was a #4 song in Canada, and was part of an amazing run of eight consecutive years in which Aretha won the Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
In February, Franklin was honored with a day in her honor, and longtime friend Martin Luther King, Jr. presented her with the SCLC Drum Beat Award for Musicians just two months before his death. Aretha released the single "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone", and it climbed to #5, becoming her fifth career Gold record in the process. It too was a #1 R&B smash and #6 in Canada.
"Ain't No Way" was a mid-charter from Lady Soul, so she turned her attention to the next album, Aretha Now. It hit #3 on the Album chart and yielded two Top 10 hits and three million-selling singles. This is "Think", another song included in The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*. "Think" was Franklin's sixth R&B #1 song, and hit #6 in Canada. How odd is it that after all this, only one country outside North America (the U.K.) had one of her songs ("Respect") reach the Top 10? Top 10 no doubt--it's one of The Most Important Songs of the Rock Era*!
Aretha Now became her third consecutive album to go Gold. Her next single, a remake of "I Say a Little Prayer", went to #10, overall, #3 on the R&B chart, #4 in the U.K. and she collected her first career Top 10 in Australia at #8.
Aretha's next hit wasn't on the album, but rather the "B" side of "I Say A Little Prayer". It was so popular that it actually attained a higher peak (#6) than the song that was promoted. "The House That Jack Built" reached #6 overall and #2 on the R&B chart; it was #11 in Canada.
In June, Franklin appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The song "See Saw" only reached #14 overall (#9 R&B), but it too sold over one million copies.
By the time the decade was up, Aretha had already acquired the "Queen of Soul" label. She won the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Share Your Love With Me". Her album Spirit in the Dark in 1970 was widely acclaimed. And she continued to do well in R&B, but she hit a dry spell on the Popular chart, unable to reach the Top 10 with her next 12 single releases. However, "Don't Play That Song" in 1970 went Gold, even though it only reached position #11, in large part because it gave her another #1 R&B hit. That same audience gave her yet another Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the song.
In 1971, Franklin released her cover of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water". It was her first Top 10 song in three years at #6, sold over one million copies, and captured the Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The song went to #1 on the R&B chart and #8 in Canada.
The Gold album Young, Gifted & Black may have been Aretha's best. The singles "Border Song (Holy Moses)" and "You're All I Need To Get By" weren't mass appeal hits, but this one was! "Spanish Harlem" landed just short of #1 (#2 for two weeks), and also sold over one million copies. It was one of Franklin's biggest career hits and her 15th career #1 on the R&B chart.
"Rock Steady" was another solid song on the album, selling over one million copies and reaching #9 overall, #2 on the R&B chart and #11 in Canada.
Aretha struck Gold again in 1972 with this #5 hit--"Day Dreaming". It was yet another #1 for Franklin on the R&B chart, #11 on the Adult chart and #13 in Canada.
Most of the time, Grammy Awards for Best Vocal Performance are given for one song. Occasionally, the Academy will recognize an entire album in the category, and such was the case for Aretha for her great album Young, Gifted & Black, which was honored for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Franklin's 1972 live album Amazing Grace sold over two million copies, and won the Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance. Franklin took this Stevie Wonder song to #1 on the R&B chart, #3 overall, and #8 in Canada in 1974. Here's Franklin's 14th Gold single.
In 1973, Aretha released the album Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky), and won another Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Master of Eyes". This song only reached #28 in 1976, but it is a fan favorite--"Something He Can Feel".
Franklin released the album Let Me in Your Life in 1974, which resulted in another Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her cover of "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing".
Up until this time, Aretha had only received Grammy Awards. But with the advent of the American Music Awards, she garnered Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist. She no doubt would have won that honor several years in her prime had the award existed. Franklin won the same honor the following year at the American Music Awards.
Aretha then went another 13 releases without reaching the Top 15 and left Atlantic in 1979. That year, Franklin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She signed with Arista Records and in 1980, she gave a command performance for Queen Elizabeth of England at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Franklin made an acclaimed acting appearance in the movie The Blues Brothers.
Franklin released her first album for Arista, Aretha. Her cover of Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose" was nominated at the Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Her next album, Love All the Hurt Away, included a great duet of the title track with George Benson.
Aretha also came home with the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Hold On, I'm Comin'". Franklin's 1982 album Jump to It gave Franklin her first Top 40 song (the title track) in six years, and the song was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Single. Franklin was recognized for her work on the album and presented with the American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album. She also received a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards.
In 1983, Franklin released the album Get It Right, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Aretha then scored a major comeback with the album Who's Zoomin' Who, which became her second Platinum album. Franklin collected her first Top 10 in 12 years--"Freeway Of Love", a #3 smash in 1985, that also hit #1 on the R&B chart, #5 in Canada and #6 in Australia. Aretha received the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Franklin received American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Video Artist, and she was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Video for "Freeway Of Love". She also received a nomination for Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards. The follow-up title song reached #2 on the R&B chart and #7 overall in the United States and #11 in the U.K. for Franklin.
Franklin recorded the title song for the movie Jumpin' Jack Flash in 1986, and she was nominated for Best Video from a Film at the MTV Video Music Awards. Later that year, Aretha combined with the Eurythmics for this song, which reached #18.
In 1985, the government of the state of Michigan labeled Franklin as a "natural resource". In 1987, Aretha became the first female performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Video Artist.
In 1987, Franklin and George Michael recorded this duet, and it became Aretha's second career #1--"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)". The multi-format smash also landed at #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #5 on the R&B chart in the U.S., and gave Franklin her first career #1 in both the U.K. and Australia, and a #4 song in Canada.
Franklin received the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her album Aretha, and Aretha and Michael won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. In 1988, Franklin released the gospel album One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, and she won the Grammy for Best Female Soul Gospel Performance.
In 1989, Aretha released the album Through the Storm, nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. A duet with her goddaughter, Whitney Houston ("It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna' Be"), resulted in a Grammy nomination for the two legends for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. Franklin received another nomination in the category for her work with James Brown on "Gimme' (sic) Your Love".
In 1990, Franklin was honored with the Grammy Legend Award. The following year, she released the album What You See Is What You Sweat. Franklin collaborated with Luther Vandross on the song "Doctor's Orders", which was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, and Franklin received another nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In 1993, Aretha recorded "Someday We'll All Be Free" for the album Malcolm X, and she was rewarded with a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
In 1994, Franklin received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a medal from the Kennedy Center Honors. Aretha was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "A Deeper Love".
She had mounted an amazing comeback, but that would be the final Top 10 song for the great Queen of Soul. In 1998, Aretha received acclaim throughout the world for singing the opera aria "Nessun Dorma" at the Grammy Awards, replacing Luciano Pavarotti. Also in 1998, Aretha scored another Gold album with A Rose Is Still a Rose. and was nominated at the Grammys for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her work on the album.
In 1999, Franklin earned the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States government. Aretha teamed up with Mary J. Blige for the song "Don't Waste Your Time", honored at the Grammy Award by a nomination in the field of Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
In 2003, Franklin released the album So Damn Happy, and captured her 16th Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for the song "Wonderful". Aretha was also nominated for Best R&B Album.
In 2005, Aretha received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C. In 2006, Franklin captured her seventeenth career Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for the song "A House Is Not a Home". The following year, Aretha combined with Mary J. Blige and the Harlem Boys Choir on the song "Never Gonna' Break My Faith", and won Grammy #18 for Best Gospel Performance.
In 2009, Aretha gave a great performance of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" at the U.S. presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. The following year, Franklin received an honorary degree from Yale University. In 2011, Franklin was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for her work with Ronald Isley on their cover of "You've Got a Friend".
In 2012, Aretha was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Aretha is now reunited with Clive Davis at RCA Records and is working on a new album.
Franklin has enjoyed 77 Hot 100 hits, more than any other female artist in the Rock Era. If that were the sole criterion, she would be at the top. Where Aretha loses ground to others in this range is that only 17 of the 77 were Top 10 songs, while she scored two career #1's. Franklin has won 18 Grammy Awards in her fabulous career (out of 35 nominations), and four American Music Awards out of eight nominations. She has sold 75 million albums worldwide, or approximately the same as Enya.
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