aretha queen of soul...

 Remembering the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018)

"If a song's about something I've experienced or that could've happened to me, it's good," she told biographer Mark Bego. "But if it's alien to me, I couldn't lend anything to it. . . . I look for something meaningful. When I go into the studio, I put everything into it. Even the kitchen sink."

"She just bared her soul, she exposed herself, she did everything but get on the floor and scream and cry," singer Natalie Cole told VH1. "She just had that special something that people respond to."

She held the No. 1 spot on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums longer than any other woman: 74 weeks. And the three albums with the most weeks at No. 1 among female artists are all hers: Aretha Now (1968) finishes first with 17 weeks, while the same year’s Aretha: Lady Soul posted 16 weeks. I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967) dominated for 14 weeks.

Franklin charted an even 100 titles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, an all-time record among women. Break it down virtually any way you want and she still comes out on top, with the most No. 1s (20), top 10s (52) and top 40 hits (81).