On the day that Etta James passed away, celebrities flocked to Twitter to tweet condolences, or blogged remembrances on their web sites.
Beyoncé, who played Etta James in the movie Cadillac Records, a fictionalized account of Chess Records, blogged of Ms. James:
"When she effortlessly opened her mouth, you could hear her pain and triumph. Her deeply emotional way of delivering a song told her story with no filter. She was fearless, and had guts. She will be missed."
David Ritz, co-author of Ms. James' autobiography, Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story, in his foreword writes:
"Her candor was shocking. Her opinions were extreme; she loved and hated with undiluted passion." He continued, "Bluntly honest. Unapologetic. Nakedly frank."
The Life and Career of Etta James
Born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938, she never knew who her father was, but believed it was pool shark, Minnesota Fats. Ms. James mother, Dorothy Hawkins, was fourteen when she was born, but it wasn't until she was twelve years old that she lived with her mother. Shunted from foster home to foster home, Jamesetta chose toughness, instead of weakness. It paid off.
She was five years old when her career began in Los Angeles, under the direction of James Earle Hines, director of the Echoes of Eden choir. She sang in church, on the radio, and according to Sean Justice, author of At Last, The Life and Death of a Legend, she also sang "during drunken poker games at home" when Hines would wake her and beat her into submission, forcing her to sing.
When she was fourteen, she and two other girls formed a singing group known as the Creolettes. Rhythm and blues renaissance man, Johnny Otis, who ironically died three days before Ms. James, discovered the Creolettes. It was Mr. Otis who took the name Jamesetta, reversed the name's two syllables, and came up with the stage name Etta James.
Mr. Otis wanted a female response to the Hank Ballard song Work with Me Annie. Ms. James wrote the lyrics to the response song first titled Roll with Me Henry, and then changed to either, Dance with Me Henry or The Wallflower.
The Creolettes version of the song reached number two on the R&B charts. Afterward, which was typical of the time, a white singer, Georgia Gibbs recorded a mellower version for a white audience. Gibbs version reached number one on the pop charts.
From 1954 to1960, the Creolettes recorded with Modern Records, usually with a doo-wop sound. In 1960, Ms. James signed with Chess Records, home to such notables as Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. Leonard Chess, founder of Chess Records, heard in Ms. James' voice the makings of a pop balladeer. In 1961, accompanied by a string section, Ms. James, for the first time, recorded At Last, which from that time forward became her signature song. At Last was originally recorded by the Glenn Miller’s Orchestra in 1941, making it a pop standard.
Addictions Take Their Toll
As successful as her career with Chess records was, by the mid-1960's she had all but ruined it because of a heroin addiction. However, by 1978 she'd kicked the habit and was back on top. This time she was recording under the Warner Brother's label. Among her achievements that year, she toured as the Rolling Stones opening act, which introduced an entirely different generation to her music.
However, by the mid-1980's drugs once more took control of her life and career. In 1988, she was admitted into the Betty Ford Center, where she kicked her drug habit for good. Only to replace it with a food addiction, by 2001 the 5 foot three inch Ms. James weighed four hundred and thirty five pounds. She underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost two hundred and thirty five pounds.
In 1969, she married Artis Mills. They remained married until her death. In 1972, he served a ten year prison sentence for drug related charges. It is alleged that the charges rightfully belonged to Ms. James, but he took the rap for her. They have two sons, Donto and Sametto.
During her final years, dementia and leukemia took their toll. In April 2009, she gave her last performance, when she sang her signature song, At Last, on Dancing with the Stars. Name a music genre and she sang it. By the early 1990's, she was drug free, and the accolades came with abundance.
Etta James passed away January 20, 2012.
Awards:
1993, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
2001, Rockabilly Hall of Fame
2003, star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
2008, Billboard R&B Founders Award
2001 - Blues Hall of Fame
Grammies
1994 - Best Jazz Vocal Performance
2003 - Best Contemporary Blues Album
2004 - Best Traditional Blues Album
Grammy Hall of Fame Awards
1999 - At Last (for qualitative or historical significance)
2003 - Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
2008 - The Wallflower (for qualitative or historical significance)
Blues Foundation - Founded in 1980, has bestowed on James some form of Blues Female Artist of the Year award fourteen times.
Sources
Rolling Stone, January 20, 2012 - Etta James Dead at 73
New York Times, January 20, 2012 - Etta James Dies and 73; Voice Behind at Last
People Magazine, April 2006 - How Etta Got Her Groove Back
Sean Justice, At Last: The Life and Times of Etta James
David Ritz and Etta James, Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story
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