What is Aretha Franklin's birth date?

Aretha Franklin was born on March 25, 1942. She was born Aretha Louise Franklin at her family's home on Lucy Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, to Barbara Siggers Franklin and Baptist minister Clarence LaVaughn Franklin.

Franklin spent only part of her early childhood in Memphis. When she was two, her family moved to Buffalo, New York, and by the time she was five, they had settled in Detroit. Her father's influential New Bethel Baptist Church became an important setting in her musical development, exposing her to gospel music and prominent visiting performers.

A frequent mistake is confusing Franklin's birth date with the date of her death, August 16, 2018, or with dates associated with her landmark recordings. She recorded her famous version of “Respect” in February 1967, shortly before turning 25, and released it that April. Her Memphis birth also connects her to the city's rich musical history, even though Detroit became the city most closely associated with her upbringing and career.