The Queen of Soul, Aretha Louise Franklin (1942–2018), was born on this day in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in Detroit, Michigan, singing “all day, every day.”

Franklin’s father was noted Baptist preacher C. L. Franklin. At a young age, she sang in his church choir and toured with gospel evangelists. She recorded her first solo album at age twelve.

“Trying to grow up is hurting... You make mistakes. You try to learn from them, and when you don't, it hurts even more,” she once said.

For more than four decades and over fifty albums, Aretha Franklin poured her voice into songs demanding R-E-S-P-E-C-T, celebrating equality and love.

“Soul is constant,” she once said. “It's cultural. It's always going to be there, in different flavors and degrees.”

“I look for a good lyric, a good melody, the changes. I look for something meaningful. When I go to the studio, I put everything into it — even the kitchen sink. I love to record. I love music.”

In 1986, the Michigan legislature proclaimed her voice a state natural resource. In 1987, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

With a voice that vibrated with excitement and passion, Franklin’s music continues to move hearts and carry listeners back through memory and soul.