[198] Franklin became the second woman inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In Respect, the struggles of Franklins romantic life are portrayed by some around her as being connected to her tremendous artistic gifts, most notably by her brother, Rev. Glynn Russell Turman is a proud father of three children. The marriage between Mrs. Franklin and White ended up in a nasty divorce after a domestic violence dispute they decided . [200], In 2010 Franklin was ranked first on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time"[7] and ninth on their list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". She had initially been asked to perform in honor of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, in which she appeared with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Franklin rarely talked about her family and personal life, and for decades, Clarence Franklin's father has been . Following Franklin's divorce from Ted White, her brother Cecil became her manager and maintained that position until his death from lung cancer on December 26, 1989. They were together for eight years until 1969. He was a handsome man with a smooth manner and excellent taste. The album of the same name was released after the single. And Ive been hurthurt bad., .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), Rihanna and 10 Other Great Pregnant Performances, Burt Bacharachs Legacy: 5 Notable Collaborations, 2023 Grammy Awards: Six Winners Who Made History. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. After just a few weeks of dating, the pair. As a child, Franklin was noticed for her gospel singing at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father C. L. Franklin was a minister. [97] In doing so, she became the first woman to have 100 songs on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with the success of her cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep", which debuted at number 47 on the chart. Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, to Barbara (ne Siggers) and Clarence LaVaughn "C. L." Franklin. Inside Aretha Franklins Relationship with Her First Husband Ted White, Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. She was delivered at her family's home located at 406 Lucy Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee. [53], Producer Jerry Wexler convinced her to move to Atlantic Records. "[59] Franklin's debut Atlantic album, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, also became commercially successful, later going gold. [7] In 2019, the Pulitzer Prize jury awarded the songwriter a posthumous special citation "for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades". Advertisement ARETHA'S MARRIAGE Aretha Franklin and actor Glynn Turman both had failed marriages when they started falling in love. Her central influence, Clara Ward of the renowned Ward Singers, was a family friend. Aretha had an abusive first marriage to Detroit pimp Ted White ( Image: Michael Ochs. He was kind of abusive., As for Franklin herself, all she ever said even in her very own autobiography was I didnt realize I was in way over my head, calling White a take-charge kind of guy., That taking charge seemed to overshadow both her personal and professional lives, exploding in a violent incident between White and producer Rick Hall that, according to Hall, turned into a full-blown fist fight., READ MORE: Inside the Lifelong Friendship of Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson. Label executive John H. Hammond later said he felt Columbia did not understand Franklin's early gospel background and failed to bring that aspect out further during her period there. As a civil-rights-minded nation lent greater support to black urban music, Franklin was crowned the Queen of Soul. Respect, her 1967 cover of Otis Reddings spirited composition, became an anthem operating on personal, sexual, and racial levels. [234] Franklin's biopic Respect was released in August 2021 in various countries. Might be showing my age, but who knew Aretha remarried to actor, Glynn Russell Turman. Aretha and actor Glynn Turman married on April 11, 1978, at her father's church. Though Franklin and Turman did several high-profile interviews with the intention of painting their married life as idyllic, things reportedly started to erode. In 2014, Franklin was signed under RCA Records, controller of the Arista catalog and a sister label to Columbia via Sony Music Entertainment, and worked with Clive Davis. Records. Aretha Franklin, legendary 'Queen of Soul,' dies in 2018 at 76. A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul", was organized by CBS and the Recording Academy[228] on January 13, 2019, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. That evening, after the show had already begun, another performer, opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti became too ill to perform the aria "Nessun dorma" as planned. In 2009 she electrified a crowd of more than one million with her performance of My Country Tis of Thee at the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, and her rendition of Carole Kings (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman during the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in 2015 was no less breathtaking. [67] That year, Franklin was the subject of a criminal impersonation scheme. Aretha Franklin married an abusive pimp. As a young teen, Franklin performed with her father on his gospel programs in major cities throughout the country and was recognized as a vocal prodigy. In the early 1970s she triumphed at the Fillmore West in San Francisco before an audience of flower children and on whirlwind tours of Europe and Latin America. [65] She appeared on the cover of Time magazine in June.[66]. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Aretha is the kind of girl, youve got to love her hard, pianist Teddy Harris said. She would go on to record the selection and perform it live several more times in the years to come. [44], In January 1961, Columbia issued Franklin's first album, Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo. At Atlantic, Franklin returned to her gospel-blues roots, and the results were sensational. She moved to New York City, where Columbia Records executive John Hammond, who had signed Count Basie and Billie Holiday, arranged her recording contract and supervised sessions highlighting her in a blues-jazz vein. Franklin's follow-up albums for Atlantic, including Sweet Passion (1977), Almighty Fire (1978) and La Diva (1979), bombed on the charts,[citation needed] and in 1979 Franklin left the company. Aretha and actor Glynn Turman married on April 11, 1978, at her father's church. In an interview with Oprah Daily, Erivo spoke about channeling Franklins ability to weather adversity in her performance. [51], Franklin was the mother of four sons. [8] In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked Franklin number one on its list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Omissions? For the next half-dozen years, she became a hit maker of unprecedented proportions; she was Lady Soul.. January 30, 1963) with ex-husband, Ted White & Kecalf Cunningham (b. Franklin and Turman, who had no children together, separated in 1982 and divorced in 1984. [112], According to Richie Unterberger, Franklin was "one of the giants of soul music, and indeed of American pop as a whole. "[118] Her songs "Respect" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" became anthems of these movements for social change. [208] The next year, Billboard named her the greatest female R&B artist of all time. [223], After Franklin's death, fans added unofficial tributes to two New York City Subway stations: the Franklin Street station in Manhattan, served by the 1 train, and the Franklin Avenue station in Brooklyn, served by the C and S trains. [122], Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Franklin moved to New York City in the 1960s where she lived until relocating to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. The last time she sang the aria live was for Pope Francis at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in September 2015. In 2004, Franklin announced that she was leaving Arista after more than 20 years with the label. Critics recognized her talent, but the public remained lukewarm until 1966, when she switched to Atlantic Records, where producer Jerry Wexler allowed her to sculpt her own musical identity. Arethas brother said their father Reverend C.L. [54][55] Wexler decided that he wanted to take advantage of her gospel background; his philosophy in general was to encourage a "tenacious form of rhythm & blues that became increasingly identified as soul". New York: Little Brown & Company. Following an incident in 1984, she cited a fear of flying that prevented her from traveling overseas; she performed only in North America afterwards. Other gospel greats of the dayAlbertina Walker and Jackie Verdellhelped shape young Franklins style. Franklin and Turman separated in 1982 after she returned to Michigan from California and they divorced in 1984. The album sold well over a million copies thanks to the hits "Freeway of Love", the title track, and "Another Night". The album yielded Franklin's final top-40 hit of the decade, "Something He Can Feel", which also peaked at number one on the R&B chart. [151] She again lost weight in the early 1990s, before gaining some back. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aretha-Franklin, Aretha Franklin - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Aretha Franklin - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1987). [18] During this time, Aretha learned how to play piano by ear. [15] After the separation, Aretha recalled seeing her mother in Buffalo during the summer, and Barbara Franklin frequently visited her children in Detroit. March 28, 1970) with 3rd ex-boyfriend, Ken Cunningham. Deacon Willie Todd declared, Reverend Franklin couldnt stand Ted, according to Vanity Fair. While Franklin was still a teen when she met White, she was also a mother of two, having given birth to her first son Clarence when she was 12 and Edward when she was 14. [32], During this time, Franklin would occasionally travel with the Soul Stirrers. She was going to make up for that with Glynn, Franklin-Corbett said. Some of these releases were from the acclaimed albums Spirit in the Dark and Young, Gifted and Black. The album featured her first single to chart the Billboard Hot 100, "Won't Be Long", which also peaked at number 7 on the R&B chart. But the lyrics for one of her first big hits may have struck closer to her heart than many realized. Another woman performed at several Florida venues under the name Aretha Franklin. [99][100][101][102] During the bridge of the song, Franklin dropped her fur coat to the stage, for which the audience rewarded her with a mid-performance standing ovation. In Respect, Etta James likens the relationship between Aretha and White to that of Ike and Tina Turner, which was abusive, and in an interview as part of the book, legendary record producer Clyde Otis talked about being at tense sessions with the two of them. However, just a few weeks later, the engagement ended. After splitting with White, Franklin met Ken Cunningham in 1969. [68] After being cleared of wrongdoing, Jones subsequently enjoyed a brief career of her own, during which she was herself the subject of an impersonation. Her father, C.L. Grant Rindner is a culture and music journalist in New York. Franklin grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Before signing with Columbia, Sam Cooke tried to persuade Franklin's father to sign her with his label, RCA, but his request was denied since she had decided to go with Columbia. [40], She returned to Detroit's Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day 2016 to once again perform the national anthem before the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. Aretha Franklin's former love interest and longtime friend, Willie Wilkerson, Jr. has died from the COVID-19 virus at the age of 72. . "American history wells up when Aretha sings", President Obama explained in response to her performance of "A Natural Woman" at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. Hit songs such as "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", "Respect", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Chain of Fools", "Think", and "I Say a Little Prayer", propelled Franklin past her musical peers. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. In 2008, Franklin issued the holiday album This Christmas, Aretha on DMI Records. She was drinking so much, we thought she was on the verge of a breakdown, her sister Carolyn said in Ritzs biography. According to music producer Quincy Jones, while Franklin was still young, Dinah Washington let him know that "Aretha was the 'next one'". Ritz David. Aretha moved back to Detroit in late 1982 to assist with the care of her father, who died at Detroit's New Light Nursing Home on July 27, 1984. Michael Ochs Archives/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Franklin and White married in. [205] Inducted to the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012, Franklin was described as "the voice of the civil rights movement, the voice of black America". Aretha Franklin was arguably the greatest singer to walk a turn on . But many close to her have hinted that this period of the Queen of Souls life may have been one where she struggled with getting her own respect. After a difficult marriage that involved domestic violence, they separated in 1968. Despite the success of the single "Angel", the album bombed[citation needed] upon its release in 1973. March 17, 2021. Franklin's life is the subject of high-profile projects starring Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Hudson. [193] The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences awarded her a Grammy Legend Award in 1991, then the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. [187] Williams's eulogy was criticized for being "a political address that described children being in a home without a father as 'abortion after birth' and said black lives do not matter unless blacks stop killing each other". [61] On February 16, Franklin was honored with a day named for her and was greeted by longtime friend Martin Luther King Jr., who gave her the SCLC Drum Beat Award for Musicians two months before his death. [45] Mostly produced by Clyde Otis, Franklin's Columbia recordings saw her performing in diverse genres, such as standards, vocal jazz, blues, doo-wop and rhythm and blues. She provided money for civil rights groups, at times covering payroll, and performed at benefits and protests. They separated when she was 6-year old. They married in 1978 and divorced in 1984, citing their long-distance relationship as the driving factor. At the time of their marriage, Franklin had four children and Turman had three of his own. Franklin's cover of "Rolling in the Deep" was featured among nine other songs in her first RCA release, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, released in October 2014. [84] That recording reached number 26 on the Hot 100 and number five on the R&B chart. I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You) (1967), recorded at Fame Studios in Florence, Alabama, was her first million-seller. Take a look back at Aretha Franklin's life, as she tells it through a . "I knew Ted White, as did most entertainers in Detroit," Aretha's sister, the late singer Erma Franklin, said in the book. Aretha Franklin's funeral fit for a queen 03:59 CNN Aretha Franklin, whose gospel-rooted singing and bluesy yet expansive delivery earned her the title " the Queen of Soul ," has died,. Aretha Louise Franklin was the daughter of Rev. When Aretha was two, the family relocated to Buffalo, New York. [52] By 1964, Franklin began recording more pop music, reaching the top 10 on the R&B chart with the ballad "Runnin' Out of Fools", in early 1965. Their talent takes over their lives and overwhelms everything else, Cecil said. [113] Franklin's voice was described as being a "powerful mezzo-soprano voice". [38] Also important was James Cleveland, known as the King of Gospel music, "who helped to focus her early career as a gospel singer"; Cleveland had been recruited by her father as a pianist for the Southern California Community Choir. In a later party scene, with the clearly pre-pubescent Aretha preparing to go to sleep in her bedroom, an unnamed man enters, closes the door and says that he'll be her "boyfriend.". [60] In 1968, Franklin issued the top-selling albums Lady Soul and Aretha Now, which included some of her most popular hit singles, including "Chain of Fools", "Ain't No Way", "Think", and "I Say a Little Prayer". These four tracks, with the addition of "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood", were released on side one of the 1956 album, Spirituals. "Respect" was Otis Redding's song but Aretha modified it with a "supercharged interlude featuring the emphatic spelling-out of the song's title". Born on March 25, 1942 in Memphis, Aretha was one of five children raised by CL Franklin, a preacher who eventually settled in Detroit, and inherited both his fiery temperament and love of music. Aretha Franklin was engaged to Willie Wilkerson (2012). [106] It peaked at number five on the Billboard Top Classical Albums chart before her death and rose to number two after her death. [98], In December 2015, Franklin gave an acclaimed performance of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors during the section for honoree Carole King, who co-wrote the song. Aretha married twice, first to Theodore 'Ted' White in 1961 aged 19. It took someone that slick to get a great talent like Aretha in his stable.. I asked my father if we could use his new car to go on Sam's tour.' Her father [the legendary Reverend C.L. "[104] Franklin later recalled the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors as one of the best nights of her life. Bush. "Our last year in the studio together was the craziest. "Respect" was a huge hit for Franklin, and became a signature song for her. Jail is hell to be in. [182] Among those who paid tribute to Aretha at the service were Ariana Grande, Bill Clinton, Rev. [92] In February 2006 she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" with Aaron Neville and Dr. John for Super Bowl XL, held in her hometown of Detroit.[93]. A lot of trouble. Franklin's movie about her life, titled. [24] Serving as her manager, C. L. Franklin agreed to the move and helped to produce a two-song demo that soon was brought to the attention of Columbia Records, who agreed to sign her in 1960, as a "five-percent artist". [116], In 2015, President Barack Obama wrote the following regarding Franklin:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R. & B., rock and rollthe way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope. He added having to spend time together was very moving. "Arethas husband, Ted White, roughed her up in public," the piece says. Franklin and White separated in 1968 and their divorce was finalized a year later. [citation needed], Working with Wexler and Atlantic, Franklin had become "the most successful singer in the nation" by 1968. With global sales of over 75 million records, Franklin is one of the world's best-selling music artists.[3]. Franklin's success expanded during the early 1970s, during which she recorded the multi-week R&B number one "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", as well as the top-ten singles "Spanish Harlem", "Rock Steady", and "Day Dreaming". By the late 1970s disco cramped Franklins style and eroded her popularity. released Franklin's first single, "Never Grow Old", backed with "You Grow Closer". [20], Aretha's father's emotionally driven sermons resulted in his being known as the man with the "million-dollar voice". In 2020, he had supporting roles in the acclaimed features The Way Back and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. [35], Franklin and her father traveled to California, where she met singer Sam Cooke. Franklin and White divorced in 1969, and had one child, Teddy Richards, a successful musician who played guitar in his mother's band. [155], In 2010, Franklin canceled a number of concerts to have surgery for an undisclosed tumor. Her marriage to Glynn was billed as the perfect Hollywood relationship. As a songwriter, White wrote or co-wrote songs for Franklin, including "I Wonder (Where You Are Tonight . You try to learn from them, and when you dont it hurts even more. Her album The Gospel Sound of Aretha Franklin (1956) captures the electricity of her performances as a 14-year-old. What Happens Now? He counted White as an enemy. The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin was a complex figure, . Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, Faith Hill, Fantasia, the Clark Sisters, Ronald Isley, Angie Stone, Chaka Khan, Jennifer Holliday, Loretta Devine, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Shirley Caesar,[183] Shirma Rouse,[184] Stevie Wonder, Eric Holder, Gladys Knight, Cedric the Entertainer, Tyler Perry, Smokey Robinson, Yolanda Adams, and Rev. On an ABC promo aired on July 27, 2010, announcing Franklin and, Rev. The Queen of Soul died of pancreatic . Aretha's second husband is actor Glynn Turman. Franklin and Turman were married in 1978 but divorced in 1984 after a two-year separation. [115] Critic Randy Lewis assessed her skills as a pianist as "magic" and "inspirational". [206][207] Asteroid 249516 Aretha was named in her honor in 2014. Aretha Franklin died of advanced pancreatic cancer on August 16, 2018, in Detroit, Michigan. [104] On June 8, 2017, the City of Detroit honored Franklin's legacy by renaming a portion of Madison Street, between Brush and Witherell Streets, Aretha Franklin Way. "Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R&B, rock and rollthe way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope. The couple met backstage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion during a Ben Vereen show. Her parents separated when she was six, and Franklin remained with her father in Detroit. Later . [2] Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". On August 13, 2018, Franklin was reported to be gravely ill with pancreatic cancer, the disease she was first diagnosed with in 2010, in a Detroit hospital. Was she ever married? [210] The Aretha Franklin Post Office Building was named in 2021, and is located at 12711 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Aretha Franklin's love life included a whirlwind of emotions. Franklin and White, who was also her manager, married in 1961 when she was just 19 years old; but after seven years of marriage, they separated in 1968. Franklin continued to record acclaimed albums such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967), Lady Soul (1968), Spirit in the Dark (1970), Young, Gifted and Black (1972), Amazing Grace (1972), and Sparkle (1976), before experiencing problems with the record company. In addition to being an actor, Turman worked as a producer, writer, and director throughout his career. Her mother died when Aretha was 10. [72] The live performances were filmed for a concert film directed by Sydney Pollack, but due to synching problems and Franklin's own attempts to prevent the film's distribution after Hollywood refused to promote a dark-skinned black woman as a movie star at the time, the film's release was only realized by producer Alan Elliott in November 2018. [39][40], After turning 18, Franklin confided to her father that she aspired to follow Sam Cooke in recording pop music, and moved to New York. A woman and her purse are inseparable. [86][87], In 1995, she was selected to play Aunt Em in the Apollo Theater revival of The Wiz. It ended years later, and many sources affirm that it was due to domestic abuse. [213], Franklin received honorary degrees from Harvard University and New York University in 2014,[214] as well as honorary doctorates in music from Princeton University, 2012;[215] Yale University, 2010;[216] Brown University, 2009;[217] University of Pennsylvania, 2007;[218] Berklee College of Music, 2006;[219] New England Conservatory of Music, 1997;[220] and University of Michigan, 1987. Bio: Aretha's First Husband / Manager Saycon Sengbloh Born: October 23, 1977 Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, USA Erma Franklin Born: March 13, 1938 Birthplace: Shelby, Mississippi, USA Death: September 7, 2002, Detroit, Michigan, USA (lung cancer) Bio: Aretha's Older Sister Hailey Kilgore Born: February 16, 1999 Birthplace: Humble, Texas, USA Doris Ogburn, whom he married last year, his three . She was made Whitney's honorary aunt (not a godmother as has been occasionally reported) and Whitney often referred to her as "Auntie Ree". Because she and Ted White had basically run off to marry, Aretha felt that she had missed out on a storybook wedding. They separated in 1982 partially due to the strain of maintaining a long-distance relationship and officially. All Rights Reserved. Aretha Franklin's first marriage was to Ted White. In 1967s I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You), she sang the words, I don't know why I let you do these things to me / My friends keep telling me that you ain't no good / But they don't know that I'd leave you if I could.. Years after divorcing White, Aretha Franklin married actor Glenn Turman in 1978. He said he had an opportunity to spend time with his ex Aretha before her death. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [31] In 1965, Checker Records released Songs of Faith, featuring the five tracks from the 1956 Spirituals album, with the addition of four previously unreleased recordings. However, Franklin's family denounced the series, claiming to be uninvolved with the production process, despite the production team stating that the series had been endorsed by the Franklin estate. Ted wasnt really talking to me and I was happy not to talk to him. She was the mother of four, and her first son was born in 1955 when she was 12. And she doesnt want any reference to it., But now and then, she would drop hints that being the Queen of Soul was not easy on her own soul. After her parents separated, Franklin remained with her father in Detroit. [51][34] Spann ceremonially placed a crown on her head. According to National Geographic, "she was a musical genius unmatched in her range, power, and soul". Franklin achieved a gold recordfor the first time in seven yearswith the 1982 album Jump to It. More than any other performer, she epitomized soul at its most gospel-charged". Just under 10 years after her turbulent first marriage to former manager Ted White came to an end, the . This relationship was the focus of the second half of the film because he did usher her into stardom, but he was out of her life by 1969. Corrections? A gifted singer and pianist, Aretha Franklin toured with her father's traveling revival show and later visited New York, where she signed with Columbia. Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, passed away in her home on Aug. 16, 2018 after a quiet battle with pancreatic cancer, . Franklin was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1994, recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 1999, recipient of the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award presented by Awards Council member Coretta Scott King,[194][195][196] and was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 by then President George W. [170] She was initially thought to have died without a will. She asked to hear Pavarotti's rehearsal recording, and after listening, agreed that she could sing it in the tenor range that the orchestra was prepared to play in. Aretha Franklin was in the music business for nearly 60 years. The album's title track was her first top-40 single on the pop charts in six years. The documentary Amazing Grace, which chronicles her recording of the 1972 album, premiered in 2018. The Young and the Restless ' Eric Braeden (Victor) was able to relive a very special moment when a photo popped up on his social media memories. Despite their short marriage, the former couple remained close friends throughout the years. In 1960 she moved to New York City to pursue a career in secular music. [56], In January 1967, Franklin traveled to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record at FAME Studios and recorded the song "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", backed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. He helped her stop drinking, she said. Franklin's lawyers contacted Florida authorities and uncovered a coercive scheme in which the singer, Vickie Jones, had been threatened with violence and constrained into impersonating her idol, whom she resembled closely both in voice and looks. In 1960 Franklin transitioned from sacred to secular music.