The First Recordings

On one of her visits to Detroit, Aretha met an old friend of Dinah Washington's, Ted White. Aretha had met Ted in her childhood, when he and Dinah had visited the Franklin house. Though he was eleven years older than she was, Ted and Aretha shared a birthday, March 25. Aretha was immediately attracted to him.

Ted had a reputation for being a ladies' man. He took Aretha out on the town though she knew he was dating other women. Reverend Franklin was not pleased. He had high expectations of his daughters, and wanted to see them marry men he thought were responsible and loving. Ted White didn't meet with Reverend Franklin's approval. Though it made her father angry, Aretha continued to see Ted White.

In 1961, Aretha married Ted. To everyone's surprise, she did not have a big wedding in her father's church. Instead, they were married on the road between performances. Almost immediately, Ted White took over management of Aretha's career. Later that year, she gave birth to her third son, Ted Jr.