Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and pianist. She is known to her fans as "The Queen of Soul". She is renowned for her soul recordings but is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop and gospel. She is widely acclaimed for her passionate vocal style and powerful vocal range. In 2008, the American music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Franklin #1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time.
Franklin is one of the most-honored artists in Grammy Award history, with 21 wins to date, including the Living Legend Grammy and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy. She has scored a total of 20 #1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, two of which also became #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Respect" (1967) and "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987), a duet with George Michael. Since 1961, Franklin has scored a total of 45 "Top 40" hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
