hundred sixty eight she sang at martin luther king's funeral in two thousand and nine at the inauguration of barack obama for many she was the voice of empowerment during the civil rights era. the title of her nine hundred sixty seven hit a composition by otis redding crowned her legacy from the moment the song hit the airwaves respect. everything franklin's imprint on soul music was enormous for commanding vocals powered the soundtrack of both the civil rights and women's liberation movements half a century ago. the daughter of the mississippi preacher and a mother who sang and played piano a research franklin grew up in detroit singing at her father's church services at an early age she was strongly influenced by the gospel sound. she signed her first recording contract in one nine hundred sixty and enjoyed limited success her