There are some artists who will always be remembered for their great music. Then there are the legends, musicians who will be remembered for all of time because of how they changed the face of the industry every time they opened their mouths. The late Aretha Franklin was one such musician. She wasn't called the "Queen of Soul" for nothing, after all. Everybody who's anybody knows that no one could bring a house down like she could. Whether she was singing "Amazing Grace" or any other song from her 42 studio albums, she was guaranteed to make you feel something. Seeing her live and in the flesh was a privilege because she always put on a show. In celebration of her incomparable talent and magnetic presence on stage, we give you some of her most iconic live performances.
Best Aretha Franklin Performances
These 12 Aretha Franklin Performances Will Remind You Why She's the Queen of Soul
From her 14th studio album, Lady Soul, "Chain of Fools" reached number one on the US R&B chart and stayed there for four weeks — which makes sense since Franklin sings the heck out of this song.
What's better than one legend breaking out into song? Two legends breaking out into a duet! The fact that we could have had these two on one album has me shook.
There have been many other artists who covered the Dionne Warwick song "I Say a Little Prayer," but none have performed it like Franklin. If you ever hear someone singing it, they're probably trying to imitate her.
If you didn't learn how to spell respect by listening to this song, who are you? Franklin does every note of this song justice and has me wanting to do a quickstep in my seat.
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The live performance of this hit has such a soulful quality to it. The queen always knows how to bring emotion in every note.
This performance of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is hard to see but so worth the listen. You'll have it on repeat.
The only way to make a Franklin performance even better is to add another icon to the mix. She and Wonder make beautiful harmonies together.
Franklin was the first female performer to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and this video shows exactly why!
Pretty sure there wasn't a single dry eye in the house during this live performance of "I Dreamed a Dream."
Everything about this performance is amazing. Franklin's voice, Carole King's reactions, Barack Obama about to cry, and that dress!
You're going to find church in this video and you're going to love it.
Franklin more than proves she's the Queen of Soul in this live performance at the White House.