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Etta James
Photo: Roland Godefroy, Deauville 1990 (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Classic

Etta James

This artist is no longer with us.
Born: January 25, 1938, Los Angeles, California · Died: January 20, 2012, Riverside, California (leukemia, Alzheimer's disease, MRSA infection)• United States
Soul BluesR&B
Instruments
Voice
Labels
Modern, Chess / Argo, Island
from
Los Angeles / Chess Records Chicago
Born
January 25, 1938, Los Angeles, California
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame called Etta James "one of the greatest voices of her century" and, more simply, "forever the matriarch of blues." That title came at enormous personal cost — a childhood of violence used to force a voice out of her, and decades of addiction that repeatedly nearly ended the career that voice built. She was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938, in Los Angeles, to fourteen-year-old Dorothy Hawkins, who was frequently absent from her daughter's life. James never knew her father for certain; she speculated for years that it was the pool player Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone (Kilde: Wikipedia). Raised largely by a foster family, she endured a childhood marked by cruelty: her foster father, known as "Sarge," forced her to sing during drunken poker games through beatings, an experience she said left her with lifelong difficulty singing on demand. At age five she began formal vocal training under James Earle Hines at St. Paul Baptist Church in South-Central Los Angeles, where Hines reportedly punched her in the chest while she sang to force power from her diaphragm — brutal methods that nonetheless built the instrument the world would come to know (Kilde: Wikipedia). At fourteen she met bandleader Johnny Otis, who helped her vocal group the Creolettes sign to Modern Records under a new name, the Peaches — and gave her a new name too, transposing "Jamesetta" into "Etta James." Their first single, "The Wallflower" (originally "Roll With Me, Henry," retitled "Work with Me, Annie"), reached number one on the R&B chart in February 1955 and opened doors to a national tour opening for Little Richard (Kilde: Wikipedia). In 1960 she signed with Chess Records and released her debut album, "At Last!" Its title track — a cover of the 1942 Glenn Miller standard — only reached number 2 on the R&B chart on release, but over the following decades became so definitively hers that it is now impossible to separate the song from her voice. "Something's Got a Hold on Me" followed in 1962, reaching number 4 R&B. Her career then stalled through the mid-1960s as heroin addiction took hold — a habit she funded through check forgery, prescription fraud and theft, leading to arrests in 1966 and 1969 (Kilde: Wikipedia). A 1967 comeback session at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, produced "Tell Mama," a top-10 R&B hit, backed with "I'd Rather Go Blind" — a song that never charted as a single but became one of the most covered blues standards of the century. In 1973 her self-titled album with producer Gabriel Mekler earned a Grammy nomination. Arrested again for heroin possession in 1973, she was sentenced to treatment in 1974 and spent seventeen months in Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital at age 36 — an experience she later said "changed her life," though substance struggles continued afterward (Kilde: Wikipedia). She rebuilt steadily from the late 1970s on: a 1978 Montreux Jazz Festival set and an opening slot for the Rolling Stones, a guest turn with the Grateful Dead in 1982, and a performance of "When the Saints Go Marching In" at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics opening ceremony. Her 1988 album "Seven Year Itch" on Island Records marked a full comeback. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and in 1994 won her first competitive Grammy for "Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday." A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award followed in 2003, and further competitive wins came for "Let's Roll" (2004) and "Blues to the Bone" (2005) (Kilde: Wikipedia). Married to Artis Mills from 1969 until her death — he served ten years in prison for heroin possession during their marriage — she raised two sons, Donto and Sametto James, both of whom became professional musicians and later performed as her rhythm section. She released her final album, "The Dreamer," in 2011 and announced her retirement the same year. She died on January 20, 2012, at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, California, from complications of leukemia, Alzheimer's disease and an MRSA infection, five days before her 74th birthday (Kilde: Wikipedia).

Musical Influence

Etta James's contralto voice bridged R&B, rock and roll, soul, jazz and blues so completely that "At Last" has become a permanent fixture at weddings worldwide, while "I'd Rather Go Blind" is now one of the most-covered blues songs ever written, including a hit 1968 version by Chicken Shack. She directly influenced Diana Ross, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Adele and Beyoncé — who portrayed James in the 2008 film "Cadillac Records" — and "Something's Got a Hold on Me" was sampled in Avicii's "Levels" and Flo Rida's "Good Feeling," both 2011. Rolling Stone ranked her #22 among the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time (Kilde: Wikipedia).

Influences

Billie HolidayGospel and R&B tradition

Family and personal life

Mother
Dorothy Hawkins

Fourteen years old at Etta's birth; frequently absent from her daughter's life.

Husband
Artis Mills

Married 1969 until her death in 2012; served 10 years in prison for heroin possession during their marriage.

Son
Donto James

Drummer; performed in his mother's band.

Son
Sametto James

Bassist; performed in his mother's band.

Formative experiences

  • •Age 5: Begins formal vocal training under James Earle Hines at St. Paul Baptist Church, Los Angeles. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •Age 14: Meets Johnny Otis, who signs her vocal group to Modern Records and renames her Etta James. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •1955: "The Wallflower" reaches #1 R&B; tours nationally opening for Little Richard. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •1960: Signs to Chess Records; debut album "At Last!" (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •1974: Sentenced to drug treatment; spends 17 months in Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
  • •1993: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Kilde: Wikipedia)

Instruments & Equipment

Vocals

Voice (contralto)

Bridged R&B, rock and roll, soul, jazz and blues across a six-decade career.

Stories & Anecdotes

"Her foster father "Sarge" forced her to sing during drunken poker games through beatings — an experience she said caused lifelong difficulty singing on demand. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"Johnny Otis created her stage name by transposing "Jamesetta" into "Etta James." (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"Through her mother she was introduced to Nation of Islam teachings, later joining Malcolm X's Harlem temple as "Jamesetta X" and befriending a young Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"In 2009, she publicly complained about not being invited to perform "At Last" herself after Beyoncé sang it at President Obama's inaugural ball — remarks she later called jokes born of hurt feelings, later attributed partly to Alzheimer's-related dementia. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"Her 1995 autobiography, "Rage to Survive," co-written with David Ritz, chronicles her career and struggles in her own words. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

Collaborators

Johnny Otis

Discovered her, signed her to Modern Records and created her stage name.

Chuck Berry

She sang background vocals on his "Back in the U.S.A."

Jerry Wexler

Produced "Deep in the Night" (1978) and "The Right Time" (1992).

Beyoncé

Portrayed James in the 2008 film "Cadillac Records," performing "At Last."

Watch & Listen

Featured

Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1977) [HQ]

Her most covered blues standard, recorded originally as a B-side in 1967.

YouTob

At Last

At Last

Etta James - At Last

Etta James - At Last

Etta James "Something's got a hold on me", 1966 (live)

Etta James "Something's got a hold on me", 1966 (live)

Watch & Listen

Henter videoer fra YouTube…

Discography

YearTitleProducerStudioLabelChartSalesMusiciansYouTubeNotes
1955"The Wallflower" (as the Peaches)Johnny Otis—Modern Records———Reached #1 R&B; national tour opening for Little Richard.
1960At Last!——Chess/Argo Records——Riley Hampton (Arranger, conductor)Debut album; title track became her defining signature song.
1962Etta James——Argo Records———Includes "Something's Got a Hold on Me," #4 R&B.
1967"Tell Mama" / "I'd Rather Go Blind"Rick Hall—Cadet Records———Comeback session at FAME Studios, Muscle Shoals; the B-side became one of the most-covered blues songs ever written.
1973Etta JamesGabriel Mekler—Chess Records———Self-titled album; Grammy-nominated.
1978Deep in the NightJerry Wexler—Warner Bros.————
1988Seven Year Itch——Island Records———Full commercial comeback.
1992The Right TimeJerry Wexler—Elektra Records————
1994Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday——Private Music———Won Grammy Award, Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female — her first competitive Grammy.
2004Let's Roll——RCA/Private Music———Won Grammy Award, Best Contemporary Blues Album.
2005Blues to the Bone——RCA Victor———Won Grammy Award, Best Traditional Blues Album.
2011The Dreamer——Verve Forecast———Final studio album; announced retirement the same year.

Famous songs

01At Last
02I'd Rather Go Blind
03Tell Mama
04Something's Got a Hold on Me
05The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)

External links

YouTube Music Wikipedia

Sources

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