Celebrating #BHM - Meet Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin epitomised soul and was an accomplished gospel singer and a jazz, blues and R&B musician. At the age of just fourteen she released her first album, Songs of Faith and by the late '60s, was one of the biggest international recording stars in all of pop.
Many saw Franklin as a symbol of Black America itself, mirroring the increased confidence and pride of African-Americans in the decade of the civil rights movements and other victories for the Black community and she used both her platform and her voice to advocate for racial equality.
Between 1967 and 1982 Aretha had 10 #1 R&B albums - more than any other female artist and is one of the most celebrated Grammy Award winners and in 1987, became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“Be your own artist, and always be confident in what you’re doing. If you’re not going to be confident, you might as well not be doing it.”
