Barbara Vernice Franklin (née Siggers; June 29, 1917 – March 7, 1952) was an American gospel singer and pianist, the mother of American singer–songwriter

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

and wife of

C. L. Franklin Clarence LaVaughn Franklin (Birth name, ''né'' Walker; January 22, 1915 – July 27, 1984) was an American Baptist Churches USA, American Baptist Minister (Christianity), minister and civil rights, civil rights activist. Known as the man with t ...

, the African-American

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister of New Bethel Baptist Church in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Life and career

She performed in church and later worked as a pianist. Barbara Siggers married Clarence LaVaughn Franklin on June 3, 1936. The couple had four children: Erma (1938–2002), Cecil (1940–1989), Aretha (1942–2018), and

Carolyn Franklin Carolyn Ann Franklin (May 13, 1944 – April 25, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter. Besides her own musical success, Franklin was best known as the daughter of prominent Detroit preacher and civil rights activist C. L. Franklin and the youn ...

(1944–1988). Prior to the marriage, Barbara had a son, Vaughn (1934–2002) from a previous relationship, whom Rev. Franklin adopted shortly after their marriage. Barbara was a gifted pianist and, according to

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to t ...

, one of the finest gospel singers in the country.Salvatore, Nick, ''Singing in a Strange Land: C. L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America'', Little Brown, 2005, Hardcover , p. 59. Though her primary role was that of wife and mother, she actively participated in the musical affairs of the churches where C. L. served as pastor. Following marital trouble stemming from C. L.'s numerous and ongoing infidelities, including fathering a daughter (named Carol Ellan Kelley ée Jennings by Mildred Jennings, a 12-year-old congregant in Memphis in 1940, she left Franklin in 1948 and moved to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, where her mother resided and where Franklin had served as pastor of Friendship Baptist Church from May 1944 to June 1946. She made a life for herself working in a music store, giving private music lessons, and training to be a nurse's aide. She and Franklin never officially divorced. Although it was widely reported that she had deserted her children, Aretha Franklin disputed that claim, and Nick Salvatore of

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

took pains to discredit it in his biography of C. L. Franklin. According to Salvatore, she visited Detroit to see her children, and they traveled to Buffalo during

summer vacation Summer vacation or summer break is a school holiday, school break in summer between school years and the break in the school academic year. Students are off anywhere between three weeks to three months. Depending on the country and district, staff ...

s for stays with her. She died of a heart attack on March 7, 1952, at 34 years of age.

Legacy

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...

played Barbara Franklin in the 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic ''

Respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of ...

''. *

Antonique Smith Antonique Smith (born August 11, 1983) is an American actress and singer. Life and career Smith was born in East Orange, New Jersey. She starred as Mimi in Jonathan Larson's Broadway production of ''Rent''. She was also the poster girl for '' ...

played Barbara Franklin in the third season of

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

series '' Genius: Aretha'' in 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Barbara Siggers 1917 births 1952 deaths Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) People from Shelby, Mississippi 20th-century American singers 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers