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Erma Vernice Franklin (March 13, 1938 – September 7, 2002) was an American Gospel music and Soul music singer. She recorded the original version of "Piece of My Heart", written and produced by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns in 1967, for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award. A cover version of the same song was recorded the following year by Big Brother and the Holding Company, with lead vocals by Janis Joplin. Franklin was the elder sister of singer Aretha Franklin.
Franklin studied Business at Clark Atlanta University (then named "Clark College").
In 1967, Erma Franklin sang the original version of "Piece of My Heart", which was a top 10 soul hit in the U.S. and rose to number 62 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track was co-written and produced by Bert Berns. In the UK, Franklin's version was used in a Levi's jeans commercial ("Cinderella" AKA "Night and Day"), leading to a resurgence of interest in the song. The single was re-released in the UK in 1992 and peaked on the UK Singles Chart at number 9.
Franklin told an interviewer that when she first heard Janis Joplin's version on the radio, she did not recognize it because of the vocal arrangement.
In the mid-1970s, Franklin left the music industry, apart from occasional engagements with her sister. She was one of the special guests on Aretha's 1986 Showtime cable television special — filmed at Detroit's Music Hall — and also performed on June 28, 1990, at Nelson Mandela's rally at Tiger Stadium.
Personal life and death
Franklin married Thomas Garrett and gave birth to their two children: Thomas Jr. and Sabrina. For 25 years, Franklin worked for the Boysville Holy Cross Community Center, a Detroit organization that helps homeless and disadvantaged minority children. Franklin died of cancer in Detroit, on September 7, 2002, aged 64. She is interred at Detroit's historic Woodlawn Cemetery.
Discography
Albums
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! rowspan="2" Label 1962 Her Name Is Erma — Epic Records 1969 Soul Sister 199 Brunswick 2015 The Electric Flag Featuring Erma Franklin - Live 1968
(with The Electric Flag)— RockBeat "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Singles
+ List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
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! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:9em;" Album "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
External links
Categories: 1938 Births, 2002 Deaths, 20th-century African-american Women Singers, 20th-century American Women Singers, 20th-century American Singers, African-american Christians, American Gospel Singers, Burials At Woodlawn Cemetery, Deaths From Cancer In Michigan, Deaths From Esophageal Cancer In The United States, Jay Boy Artists, Singers From Detroit, Erma
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