Aretha Franklin was one of the pillars of the modern world. There were other soul singers, other musicians who brought the music of the Black midcentury church into the worlds of rhythm & blues, pop, and rock and roll; but there were none who so demanded, with such unmatched authority, to be heard. And not only to be heard, but to be respected.
It’s rare to find a pop fan or music critic whose life hasn’t at some point been touched by her music, and we at The Singles Jukebox are no exception. To celebrate her 60th birthday, we take a look back at a greatest hits arguably unparalleled in recent pop music history.