A little bit of soul

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States that combines gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying."
Other characteristics are a call and response between the soloist and the chorus, and an especially tense vocal sound.
Many consider soul music to be a genre of music created by African Americans in northern United States inner cities, particularly Chicago.
(Read the complete text here @ Wikipedia)

Now that you know a little about the history of soul, let me introduce you to The Queen of Soul:



Lady Aretha Franklin, one of the greatest female voices in the world.
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, and she deserves the first place. There's no other voice like hers. Wanna see?



In my opinion, her voice and style of singing are unbelievable. I could listen her songs over and over again (actually, sometimes I really do that).

Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee to the Rev. C. L. Franklin, a Baptist minister, and Barbara Siggers Franklin. Aretha's parents had a troubled relationship and separated when Aretha was six.
By the age of fourteen, she signed a record deal with Battle Records, where her father recorded his sermons and gospel vocal recordings, and she issued Songs of Faith in 1956. Her earlier influences included Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson, both of whom spent a lot of time in Aretha's home.

Teenage pregnancies derailed Franklin's gospel career when she gave birth to Clarence in 1956 (at age 14) and Edward in 1958 (at age 16). When she returned to singing, Aretha decided to secure herself a deal as a pop artist. After being offered contracts from Motown and RCA, Franklin signed with Columbia Records in 196. Her recordings during that time reflected a jazz influence and moved away from her gospel roots. Franklin initially scored a few hits on Columbia including her version of "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby (With A Dixie Melody)", which peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in 1961, and the Top 10 R&B hits, "Today I Sing The Blues", "Won't Be Long" and "Operation Heartbreak". However, by the end of 1966, with little commercial success in six years with Columbia and desperate for a sound of her own, she accepted an offer to sign with Atlantic Records. According to Franklin years later, "they made me sit down on the piano and the hits came".




Read her complete biography here @ wikipedia, and look for her videos @ youtube. I hope you like it :)

Kisses and have a nice week!