When Aretha Franklin sang, the world stopped.

She had the kind of voice that soared – across genres, generations, and borders – and for that alone, she quickly became Detroit royalty, where she ruled for more than 70 years as the Queen of Soul.

Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but her real story began in Detroit, where her family moved in 1946 when she was just four years old.

Her father was a charismatic Baptist preacher (a legend in his own right – Revered CL Franklin), whose sermons and Sunday services riveted thousands in New Bethel Baptist Church.

Meanwhile, her mother, Barbara, was a gospel singer who left the family when Aretha was just six before dying of a heart attack four years later. 

This resulted in Aretha being brought up in a home defined by genius and heartbreak.

It was a place where Mahalia Jackson dropped by for dinner and Sam Cooke came by after church.

Aretha’s crucible was in Detroit. 

She played the piano by ear and sang solos at New Bethel long before most kids even learned to write their own names, and by 14, she had recorded her first full-length gospel album. 

Aretha signed on with Columbia Records in New York City in 1960 at the age of 18 as a jazz-pop crooner. 

The problem was, while the voice was there, her look was not (at least not by music industry standards).

The label had no idea what to do with a young Black woman, especially not one whose sound could not be easily controlled.

Then came Atlantic Records. 

Aretha recorded “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” in 1967 at Muscle Shoals, followed by “Respect” (written by Otis Redding and rewritten by Aretha). 

Through these hits, she was announcing to the entire world that she was:

Black…female…unapologetic…ad above all else: deserving of basic human dignity. 

In just two minutes and 29 seconds, she changed the entire trajectory of her career.

Between 1967 and 1975, Aretha went on to release hit after hit on the heels of Respect’s smash success:

“Chain of Fools”

“Think”

“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”

“Rock Steady”

“Call Me”

Aretha never left Detroit.

She could have moved to Beverly Hills. 

She could have built a mansion in Manhattan.

Instead, she remained in the Motor City – first in Lafayette Park, then later in the suburb of Bloomfield Hills. 

At her core, Aretha was an activist with a deep love for the city that birthed her.

Her shows supported local Detroit causes. 

She paid college tuition for poor students. She posted bail for civil rights icons like Angela Davis. She sang at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral when he was assassinated, and then at Obama’s inauguration when he became president.

If anyone understood the soul of Motown – it was Aretha. 

Aretha Franklin was a huge star, but also very private – not to mention deeply complex.

She had her first child at the tender age of 12 and her second at 14. 

She married twice. 

 She fought demons like weight gain, fear of flying, abuse, addiction, and stage fright head on, even graduating high school and receiving 12 honorary degrees in the face of it all.  

Yet, through it all, she could sing unlike any other.

Opera? At the 1998 Grammys, she replaced Pavarotti by singing ‘Nessun Dorma’ so convincingly Luciano himself was left speechless.

Pop? She sang better than Adele or Beyoncé.

Soul? She did not merely sing it. 

She defined it.

In her later years, Aretha slowed down her touring in the face of her pancreatic cancer diagnosis, but she never entirely stopped performing.

She performed her final public concert in November 2017 at the New York gala for Elton John’s AIDS Foundation, and even her frail voice left people speechless.

She then died on August 16, 2018 at the age of 76, a day that slowed Detroit to a standstill.

Millions mourned. 

Others celebrated.

And over 30 pink Cadillacs lined up outside the Charles H. Wright Museum for four days of public viewing, allowing Detroiters to pay their respects to the queen, who was buried in a gold-plated casket, red stilettos, and a regal gown, her funeral broadcast worldwide. 

Aretha Franklin was the first woman ever inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

Over the course of her career, she received over 18 Grammy awards for singing and sold over 75 million records – and yet – what’s most iconic is the way she did it:

With power.

With presence. 

With grace.

With dignity even in the face of extreme adversity.

Aretha now has her own freeway – the Aretha Franklin Memorial Highway, a mural on East Grand Boulevard, a musical in her honor, and a biopic starring Jennifer Hudson (Respect, 2021).

That said, her most lasting monument is the sound of her voice blasting from a car stereo – an eternal reminder of what soul really sounds like.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: July 25, 2025