It started in the pews. Before she was the undisputed queen of soul, Aretha Franklin was just a teen singing in a junior gospel choir. She didn’t wait around either. At age 14, she dropped her first gospel album, Sounds of Faith, in 1956. That’s young. Even by industry standards, it’s startling.
But the pivot happened later. In 1960, Franklin made the jump from sacred to secular music. She signed with Columbia Records in New York City. Her debut single, “Today I Sing the Blues,” came out that same year. It was a start. Not a takeover, just a beginning.
Her career really took off after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966. The momentum built. By the end of that decade, the title stuck. Queen of Soul. The title earned through decades of gospel roots and a risky leap into secular fame.