by Saint George Thompson
from Los Angeles, California in United States
Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 - August 16, 2018) aka the "Queen of Soul," was a giant of American pop music, as a singer, songwriter, and pianist. She was also an activist supporting the civil rights movement, women's rights and Native American rights.
She became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994 and the Presidential Medal of Honor in 2005. US President Barack Obama described her thus: "American history wells up when Aretha sings. Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R&B, rock and roll—the way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope."
In 2018, “the film Aretha Franklin didn't want you to see” brought us closer to the music icon. Amazing Grace, directed by Sydney Pollack and Arthur Elliot, unveils never-before-seen footage of Franklin and her natural ability to move people with her voice. Watch the trailer for Amazing Grace below:
