Erma Vernice Franklin (March 13, 1938 – September 7, 2002) was an American gospel and soul singer. Franklin was the elder sister of American singer/musician Aretha Franklin. Franklin's best known recording was the original version of "Piece of My Heart", written and produced by Bert Berns, and recorded in 1967, for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award.
During her childhood, Erma and her sisters Aretha and Carolyn sang at New Bethel Baptist Church. Later, when Aretha became a recording artist, Erma provided backing vocals and toured with her. Among her more notable back-up performances for her sister was on Aretha's signature tune "Respect".
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. The single was re-released in the UK in 1992 and peaked on the UK Singles Chart at number 9.
While she was primed to keep up the momentum and record an album, Berns tragically died at age 38, which left the record company in chaos. Again Franklin retreated from the limelight, but did spend the next few years contributing backup vocals to her sister’s recordings. Eventually, she signed with Brunswick and was able to record and release her 2nd album, Soul Sister.
Unfortunately, Soul Sister was another dud for Franklin, and her music career fizzled out. She did continue to sing on some records and make live appearances with her sister Aretha, but spent most of her time working for a children’s charity in Michigan.
Franklin died of cancer in Detroit, Michigan on September 7, 2002, at age 64.
