Aretha Franklin was inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame.
Franklin, who became known as a Gospel star after her 1972 live album “Amazing Grace,” started her career as a soul singer at her father Rev. C.L. Franklin’s New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit.
“Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I’m using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I’m happy with that,” Aretha Franklin.
Jackie Patillo, Executive Director of the Gospel Music Association and President of the Gospel Music Foundation commented: “It is great to see our christian and gospel music communities come together to pay tribute to this years GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees. It is an honor to recognize our trailblazers and remind the world of the people God has used to spread the gospel through music.”
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This year marks the 39th anniversary of the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame which was established in 1971, and has inducted more than 150 members since its inception. Previous inductees include Johnny Cash, DeGarmo & Key, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, Amy Grant, the Statler Brothers, the Winans, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Andrae Crouch, Sandi Patty, Andrae Crouch & the Disciples, Vestal Goodman, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Shirley Caesar, The Oak Ridge Boys, the Blackwood Brothers, Petra, Bill Gaither, Gloria Gaither, the Happy Goodman Family, Larry Norman, George Beverly Shea, Albertina Walker, The Imperials, Pat Boone, Dottie Rambo, Evie, Larry Norman, Richard Smallwood, Jake Hess, The Lewis Family, Cliff Barrows, Thomas A. Dorsey, the Cathedral Quartet, the Fairfield Four, Billy Graham and The Jordanaires. The Gospel Music Hall of Fame is dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of gospel music and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience, as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to gospel music.
