Aretha Franklin and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice performed together at an event Tuesday to raise money for music education.The Philadelphia Orchestra backed Rice on piano and Franklin on vocals at the Mann Music Center fundraiser, ABC News reported. The Philadelphia Inquirer said Rice and Franklin performed separately and collaborated on "I Say a Little Prayer" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee.""Music is critical for young minds because not only does it make you a well-rounded person, but it really does develop different cognitive pathways, different ways of thinking and learning," Rice told "Good Morning America." "This is about making a social contribution. And it is purely from the artistic point of view that we come together," ABC News quoted Franklin as saying in reference to her background as a Democrat and Rice's as a Republican.About Aretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as The Queen of Soul. Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B and gospel music. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Franklin No. 1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time. Franklin is one of the most honored artists by the Grammy Awards, with 18 competitive Grammys to date, and two honorary Grammys. She has scored a total of 20 No. 1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, one of which also became her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100: "Respect" (1967). "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987), a duet with George Michael, became her second No. 1 on the latter chart. Since 1961, Franklin has scored a total of 45 "Top 40" hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Franklin has the most million selling singles of any female artist with 14. Franklin has the record for the most #1 R&B albums female.
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