Aretha Franklin

Known as the “Empress Of Blues”, Bessie Smith was said to have revolutionized the vocal end of Blues Music. She showed a lot of pride as an independent African-American woman. Her style in performance and lyrics often reflected her lifestyle. Bessie Smith was one of the first female jazz artists, and she paved the way for many musicians who followed.

Three years later, Stanley became the sixteenth pastor at the First Baptist church in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1977, he named his ministry “In Touch Ministries.” One year later, Dr. Stanley was

Another one of Aaliyah’s contributions to music would be that her voice wasn’t like everyone else’s. Due to the fact that she could do deep gospel runs and switch over to deep hued inflections. Mainly she will be remembered for her voice and also being mainly the most influential singer of her modern

Benjamin Franklin was born January 17, of the year 1706, in Boston, MA, which was the

Aretha Louise Franklin also known as the Queen of Soul was born on March 25, 1942 in Memphis Tennessee. She is known for being a solo singer, and also a very talented pianist. Soul, R&B, Jazz, and Gospel are genres that she sings. Throughout her career she signed with Colombia Records and has released many popular singles that would now be considered classical. Aretha became the first female artist to be introduced into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame. Up until this day Aretha is still alive living at age seventy two and has won many Grammy awards and considered one of the most honored artist.

Aretha Franklin was born March 25, 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee; to Barbara and Clarence LaVaughn Franklin. Her mother was an accomplished piano player and vocalist while her father was an itinerant preacher. Franklin’s father sermons were so emotionally driven that he was known as “million

Rosa Louis McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, on February 4 , 1913. When Rosa was just a two years old, her father moved out, leaving her Mother and little brother, Sylvester to take of themselves. The small, split family then moved in with Rosa Grandparents, who

Early Life: She was born to Charles and Mary Moore in 1752 near Spartanburg, South Carolina. Her family was one of the first to migrate to the Piedmont area of South Carolina.

     Coretta Scott King was born on April 27, 1927 in Heiberger, Alabama. Heiberger was a small segregated town. Coretta’s parents were Obadiah and Bernice Scott. She has an older sister named Edythe and a younger brother, Obie. Coretta was named after her grandmother Cora Scott. Her family was hard working and devoted Christians. Coretta had a strong temper, feared no one and stood up for herself.

of not only African Americans, but females too. She showed that women were just as talented as

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey is a pivotal figure in the history of American music. She was the first person to ever perform blues and the first internationally known African American female blues singer. Her music acted as inspiration for many distinguished figures during the Harlem Renaissance, and continues to influence contemporary music and art.

Connie Francis truly left an amazing impact on rock and roll music. She is essentially the prototype for the female pop singers of present day. She paved the way for women in the fifties to sing rock and roll with the boys, and was unique as a female artist in that she made record sales equal to or exceeding her male singing counterparts. Her music styling had quite a range, including big band, country, ethnic, folk, and many other types. Interestingly, Francis actually still challenges one of today’s pop stars, Madonna, as the biggest-selling female recording artist of all time.

It is said that Bessie Smith is the “Empress of the Blues.” She was a superior entertainer, with talent in singing and dancing. Bessie had such a beautiful, soulful voice and she collaborated with many great jazz performers. Bessie didn’t just stand for music, she stood for women. By the end of the 1920’s, she was the highest paid black woman of her day, earning the title “Empress of the Blues.”

Crowned as "The Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin is one of the most honored female vocal artists of the last 50 years. She is an American soul singer, songwriter as well as a pianist. Her soulful, soaring voice has earned her mythic status over the years. It has been said that Aretha was a child prodigy of the golden age of gospel and was the anointed successor to gospel singers Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson. Many idolize her and her musical intelligence to this day. She is said to be one of the most quintessential sounds of America alongside The Beetles, The Stones, and Louis Armstrong.

She was idealized by every young African American girl in the 70's. She produced number one hits one after the other and became a social icon.