Access Entertainment Productions

Before she became the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin was a 19-year-old performer still figuring out what kind of artist she wanted to become. This photograph from 1961 shows her rehearsing with dancer and choreographer Charles “Cholly” Atkins, years before Franklin's voice would make her one of the most celebrated singers in American history. Atkins became closely associated with Motown later, joining the label in 1964 and helping shape the precise, synchronized choreography that became a defining part of the company's stage performances. At this point in Franklin's career, she was signed to Columbia Records and was recording and performing a mixture of jazz, pop, blues and R&B. Her father, Reverend C. L. Franklin, was already a prominent Baptist preacher in Detroit, and Aretha had grown up surrounded by gospel music and some of the most influential Black musicians and performers of the era. Her early years in entertainment were not an instant success. Columbia struggled to find the right direction for her, and her recordings did not initially produce the breakthrough the label hoped for. Everything changed when she signed with Atlantic Records in 1966 and began working with producer Jerry Wexler. Songs such as “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),” “Respect” and “Chain of Fools” soon transformed her career. Her gospel upbringing, powerful voice and ability to move effortlessly between soul, R&B and other styles made her one of the defining musical figures of the 1960s.