What musical instrument did Aretha Franklin play?

Aretha Franklin played the piano. She was not only a celebrated vocalist but also a pianist whose keyboard playing helped shape the distinctive sound of many of her recordings and live performances.

Franklin learned to play largely by ear as a child in Detroit. Her father, Reverend C. L. Franklin, was a prominent Baptist minister, and the family home and church brought her into contact with gospel singers and musicians. That religious musical environment became the foundation for both her singing and her piano style.

Her piano is especially important on recordings such as “Think,” “Rock Steady,” and “Dr. Feelgood,” where she supplied rhythmic, gospel-influenced accompaniment. Producers and fellow musicians often recognized that her musicianship went beyond interpreting songs: she could arrange, reshape, and drive a performance from the keyboard.

A common mix-up is to identify Franklin only as a singer because her voice became her defining public instrument. She did play and record with other musicians, but “piano” is the canonical answer to the question about the instrument she played.