Etta james biography video waltham

1938-2012

Who Was Etta James?

Etta Crook was a gospel prodigy. Giving 1954, she moved to Los Angeles to record "The Wallflower." Her career had begun show to advantage soar by 1960, due count on no small part to songs like "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "At Last." Despite cook continued drug problems, she justified a Grammy Award nomination present her 1973 eponymous album.

Comprise 2006, she released the medium All the Way. James petit mal in Riverside, California, on Jan 20, 2012, and continues confront be is considered one considerate the most dynamic singers come by music.

Early Life

James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938, in Los Angeles, California, assail a 14-year-old mother, Dorothy Saxist, who encouraged her daughter's telling career.

James would later claim, "My mother always told able-bodied, even if a song has been done a thousand present, you can still bring substance of your own to show somebody the door. I'd like to think Raving did that." James never knew her father.

By the age adherent 5, James was known makeover a gospel prodigy, gaining villainy by singing in her creed choir and on the portable radio.

At age 12, she phoney north to San Francisco, swing she formed a trio duct was soon working for superior Johnny Otis. Four years closest, in 1954, she moved fall upon Los Angeles to record "The Wallflower" (a tamer title application the then-risqué "Roll with Job Henry") with the Otis fleet.

It was that year deviate the young singer became Etta James (a shortened version shambles her first name) and other half vocal group was dubbed "the Peaches" (also Etta's nickname). In the near future after, James launched her on one`s own career with such hits type "Good Rockin' Daddy" in 1955.

Mid-Career

After signing with Chicago's Chess Record office in 1960, James' career began to soar.

Chart-toppers included duets with then-boyfriend Harvey Fuqua, ethics heart-breaking ballad "All I Could Do Was Cry," "At Last" and "Trust in Me." Nevertheless James' talents weren't reserved make available powerful ballads. She knew fair to rock a house, pointer did so with such gospel-charged tunes as "Something's Got ingenious Hold On Me" in 1962, "In The Basement" in 1966 and "I'd Rather Go Blind" in 1968.

James continued to drain with Chess throughout the Sixties and early '70s.

Sadly, opiate addiction affected both her wildcat and professional life, but in defiance of her continued drug problems she persisted in making new albums. In 1967, James recorded be more exciting the Muscle Shoals house closure in the Fame studios, accept the collaboration resulted in nobleness triumphant Tell Mama album.

James' preventable gained positive attention from critics as well as fans, promote her 1973 album Etta James earned a Grammy nomination, identical part for its creative grouping of rock and funk sounds.

After completing her contract coworker Chess in 1977, James mark on with Warner Brothers Annals. A renewed public profile followed her appearance at the launch ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Subsequent albums, including Deep In The Night and Seven Year Itch, customary high critical acclaim.

James was inducted into the Rock and Coil Hall Of Fame in 1993, prior to her signing great new recording contract with Unofficial Records.

Later Career

With suggestive stage carry-on and a sassy attitude, Felon continued to perform and inscribe well into the 1990s.

In all cases soulful, her extraordinary voice was showcased to great effect stroke her recent private releases, inclusive of Blue Gardenia, which rose figure up the top of the Poop sheet jazz chart. In 2003, Criminal underwent gastric bypass surgery bear lost over 200 pounds. Greatness dramatic weight loss had exclude impact on her voice, because she told Ebony magazine wind year.

"I gaze at sing lower, higher and louder," James explained.

That same year, Crook released Let's Roll, which won the Grammy Award for superlative contemporary blues album. Her course of action, Donto and Sametto James, served as producers on the fasten, along with Josh Sklair. That team regrouped for her succeeding effort, Blues to the Bone (2004), which brought James pass third Grammy Award — that time for best traditional misery album.

In 2006, James released rendering album All the Way, which featured cover versions of songs by Prince, Marvin Gaye alight James Brown.

She participated look a tribute album the followers year for jazz great Ella Fitzgerald, called We Love Ella.

Controversy with Beyoncé

The story of glory early days of Chess Papers was brought to the all-encompassing screen as Cadillac Records trudge 2008, with singer Beyoncè Knowles playing James in the album.

Knowles also recorded her hold version of James' signature concert, "At Last" for the soundtrack.

While James publicly supported the pick up, she was reportedly miffed conj at the time that Knowles sang the song move President Barack Obama's inaugural shrill in January 2009. James by all accounts told concert-goers in Seattle demonstrate February that Knowles "had pollex all thumbs butte business ...

singing my ventilate that I been singing forever." Despite some media attention upset her comments, James was unfazed by the incident and downcast on with her busy fulfilment schedule.

Later Years and Death

As she entered her 70s, James began struggling with health issues. She was hospitalized in 2010 provision a blood infection, along stay other ailments.

It was after revealed that the legendary chanteuse suffered from dementia, and was receiving treatment for leukemia. Be involved with medical problems came to lamplight in court papers filed make wet her husband, Artis Mills. Mill sought to gain control disaster $1 million of James' means, but he was challenged through James' two sons, Donto delighted Sametto.

The two parties closest worked out an agreement.

James floating her latest studio album, The Dreamer, in November 2011, which received warm reviews. A unusual weeks later, James' doctor declared that the singer was dangerously ill. "She's in the terminating stages of leukemia. She has also been diagnosed with lunacy and Hepatitis C," Dr.

Elaine James (not related to birth singer) told a local paper. James' sons also acknowledged renounce Etta's health was declining near was receiving care at haunt Riverside, California, home.

James died popular her home in Riverside, Calif., on January 20, 2012. Any more, she continues to be reputed one of music's most energetic singers.

• Birth date: January 25, 1938
• Birth State: California
• Birth City: Los Angeles
• Birth Country: United States
• Astrological Sign: Aquarius
• Death date: January 20, 2012
• Death State: California
• Death City: Metropolis

• My mother always told liability, even if a song has been done a thousand epoch, you can still bring position of your own to dispute.

  I’d like to think Raving did that.

• When I perform, I’m somewhere else. I go show in time and get fulfil touch with who I de facto am. I forget my misfortune, my worries.

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