An icon of 20th and 21st century music, the voice of the civil rights movement, and the undisputed Queen of Soulâthere is only one Aretha Franklin. In her incredible six-decade career, Aretha evolved from teenage gospel star to reigning pop and R&B diva, recording classics like â(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,â âChain Of Foolsâ, âThinkâ (lyrics by Aretha Franklin), definitive versions of the songs âRespectâ and âI Say a Little Prayerâ, and global hits like âFreeway Of Love,â âI Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)â, and âA Rose Is Still A Rose.â
Altogether, 112 of her singles reached the charts, with 20 No. 1 R&B singles, the most ever by a female artist. She won 18 Grammy Awards (including the first eight trophies for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance) and, out of recognition for her for indelible contribution to American music and culture, received both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Pulitzer Prize.