At the young age of 18 Aretha joins Columbia records. This was in 1960.
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The Music Career and Success of Aretha Franklin From Columbia to Arista records
Columbia released Franklin's first Christian album, Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo. The album featured her first single to chart the Billboard Hot 100, "Won't Be Long", which also peaked at number 7 on the R&B chart.
In the same year, Franklin scored her first top 40 single with her performance remix of the standard "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody". "Rock-a-Bye" became her first international hit, reaching the top 40 in Australia and Canada!
Franklin was named as a "new-star female vocalist" in DownBeat magazine.
Atlantic issued her faster female version of Otis Redding's "Respect", which reached number one on both the R&B (Rhythm and Blues) and pop charts. "Respect" became her signature song and was later praised as a civil rights and feminist anthem.
Franklin's success expanded during the early 1970s, during which she recorded R&B number one "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", as well as the top-ten singles "Spanish Harlem", "Rock Steady" and "Day Dreaming".
Franklin became the first R&B performer to headline Fillmore West, later that year releasing the live album Aretha Live at Fillmore West.
After leaving Atlantic Records, Franklin signed with Clive Davis's Arista Records and that same year gave a command performance at London's Royal Albert Hall in front of Queen Elizabeth.
Arista had artists like Whitney Houston, Prince, Outkast, and eventually P!nk, and Pharrell Wiliams.
Her final Arista album, So Damn Happy, was released in 2003 and featured the Grammy-winning song "Wonderful".
