The Originals: Aretha Franklin

You may be saying to yourself, "I don't hear Aretha Franklin on the radio anymore, except for the oldies dial once in a while." And, yes, it's true that the "Queen of Soul" hasn't had a new release since 2003's "So Damn Happy," but you can't help but hear her on the radio. It'll be her influence coming out of the mouths of artists like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, and countless others. The line forms long and strong behind this Original.

The Queen made her entrance on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, the third of Reverend C.L. and Barbara Siggers Franklin's four children. If there was a genre of music that aptly described Aretha's early childhood, it would probably be the blues. At six, her parents seperated, having had problems for a long time. By ten, Barbara was gone.

The highest calling led Reverend Franklin and his family from Memphis, up to Buffalo, New York, and then to the city that would become Aretha's adopted hometown, Detroit. Here, he assumed the pulpit of the New Bethel Baptist Church, becoming a national legend in his own right from there. Aretha's prodigious talents became sharper at this time as well, becoming a voice and piano prodigy, and she was so good at the age of 14 that she got a record deal at the same company her father recorded his sermons, Checkers Records.

Her first release was 1956's "The Gospel Soul of Aretha Franklin," and while gospel would continue to be a strong part of her musical career, it was forced to the sidelines by teenage pregnancy, the first two of her four sons being born in 1955 and 1957. When she returned to music, it was to try her hand at the pop charts.

There were a few false starts in this time period. After fielding offers from giants RCA and Motown, Aretha opted for Columbia Records in 1960, but saw little success with them. Six years later, she found herself signed to Atlantic Records. They "made me sit down on the piano," Aretha later said, "and the hits came."