Aretha Franklin's reign as the Queen of Soul began in 1967 when her first single with Atlantic Records, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" reached the Top 10 on the Hot 100, and held the number one spot for seven weeks on Billboard's R&B Singles chart. Her next single, "Respect," which was written and originally recorded by Otis Redding, became Franklin's most well-known song ever, and paved the road to her super-star status. "Respect" reached the number one spot on both the R&B and the Pop Charts.
Aretha Franklin, commonly referred to as The Queen of Soul, is an American singer, song-writer and pianist. Renowned for her soulful singing style, Franklin also incorporates elements of jazz, blues, R&B, and gospel music in her performances.
Aretha is one of the most honored artists by the Grammy Awards, with 18 competitive Grammys to date, and two honorary Grammys. She has achieved a total of 20 number one singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart. Since 1961, Franklin has scored a total of 45 "Top 40" hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She also has the most million-selling singles of any female artist with 14. Between 1967 and 1982 Aretha had 10 #1 R&B albums - more than any other female artist.