Aretha Franklin was the first African American woman to appear on the cover of Time magazine. Her illustrated portrait appeared on the June 28, 1968, issue, during the period when her recordings were making her one of soul music’s biggest stars.
The cover followed a remarkable run of success. Franklin’s 1967 recording of “Respect” had become an anthem, while albums such as Lady Soul and Aretha Now established her as a defining voice of the late 1960s. Time’s cover story described her as “Lady Soul” and examined how her gospel background and emotional singing helped bring soul music to a wider audience.
The cover is sometimes confused with Ebony, Life, or Newsweek because all three magazines prominently featured African American artists and public figures during the same era. The key detail is the specific first: Franklin’s 1968 appearance marked a breakthrough on Time’s cover, not merely a feature inside the magazine.
Her magazine milestone joined several others. In 1987, Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, another historic achievement that reflected her influence well beyond popular music.