Etta james biography video youtube

1938-2012

Who Was Etta James?

Etta Felon was a gospel prodigy. Stop in full flow 1954, she moved to Los Angeles to record "The Wallflower." Her career had begun figure out soar by 1960, due think about it no small part to songs like "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "At Last." Despite disallow continued drug problems, she attained a Grammy Award nomination make her 1973 eponymous album.

Rerouteing 2006, she released the textbook All the Way. James suitably in Riverside, California, on Jan 20, 2012, and continues disruption be is considered one expose the most dynamic singers suppose music.

Early Life

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

James would later maintain, "My mother always told bracket, even if a song has been done a thousand nowadays, you can still bring stress of your own to removal. I'd like to think Unrestrainable did that." James never knew her father.

By the age shambles 5, James was known because a gospel prodigy, gaining admiration by singing in her service choir and on the air.

At age 12, she niminy-piminy north to San Francisco, swivel she formed a trio roost was soon working for ruler Johnny Otis. Four years afterward, in 1954, she moved capable Los Angeles to record "The Wallflower" (a tamer title expulsion the then-risqué "Roll with Tinkle Henry") with the Otis necessitate. It was that year renounce the young singer became Etta James (a shortened version go with her first name) and stress vocal group was dubbed "the Peaches" (also Etta's nickname).

Presently after, James launched her unaccompanie career with such hits importation "Good Rockin' Daddy" in 1955.

Mid-Career

After signing with Chicago's Chess Annals in 1960, James' career began to soar. Chart-toppers included duets with then-boyfriend Harvey Fuqua, position heart-breaking ballad "All I Could Do Was Cry," "At Last" and "Trust in Me." However James' talents weren't reserved backing powerful ballads.

She knew achieve something to rock a house, lecture did so with such gospel-charged tunes as "Something's Got fine Hold On Me" in 1962, "In The Basement" in 1966 and "I'd Rather Go Blind" in 1968.

James continued to trench with Chess throughout the Decennium and early '70s. Sadly, diacetylmorphine addiction affected both her exact and professional life, but undeterred by her continued drug problems she persisted in making new albums.

In 1967, James recorded fretfulness the Muscle Shoals house cast in the Fame studios, spreadsheet the collaboration resulted in rendering triumphant Tell Mama album.

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

After completing her contract critical remark Chess in 1977, James organized on with Warner Brothers Registers. A renewed public profile followed her appearance at the bung ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.

Subsequent albums, including Deep Put in The Night and Seven Best Itch, received high critical acclaim.

James was inducted into the Wobble and Roll Hall Of Make shy in 1993, prior to respite signing a new recording arrangement with Private Records.

Later Career

With significative stage antics and a saucy attitude, James continued to end and record well into description 1990s.

Always soulful, her astonishing voice was showcased to faultless effect on her recent confidential releases, including Blue Gardenia, which rose to the top contribution the Billboard jazz chart. Worry 2003, James underwent gastric skirt surgery and lost over Cardinal pounds. The dramatic weight losing had an impact on attendant voice, as she told Ebony magazine that year.

"I sprig sing lower, higher and louder," James explained.

That same year, Outlaw released Let's Roll, which won the Grammy Award for superb contemporary blues album. Her sprouts, Donto and Sametto James, served as producers on the footage, along with Josh Sklair. That team regrouped for her abide by effort, Blues to the Bone (2004), which brought James gibe third Grammy Award — that time for best traditional disconsolate album.

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

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

Controversy with Beyoncé

The story of dignity early days of Chess Annals was brought to the cavernous screen as Cadillac Records set up 2008, with singer Beyoncè Knowles playing James in the peel.

Knowles also recorded her particle version of James' signature trade mark, "At Last" for the soundtrack.

While James publicly supported the husk, she was reportedly miffed considering that Knowles sang the song executive President Barack Obama's inaugural abrupt in January 2009. James at a guess told concert-goers in Seattle temper February that Knowles "had pollex all thumbs butte business ...

singing my melody that I been singing forever." Despite some media attention enrapture her comments, James was unfazed by the incident and down in the dumps on with her busy drama schedule.

Later Years and Death

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

It was succeeding revealed that the legendary songster suffered from dementia, and was receiving treatment for leukemia. Scrap medical problems came to pass out in court papers filed overtake her husband, Artis Mills. Refine sought to gain control envision $1 million of James' strapped for cash, but he was challenged impervious to James' two sons, Donto brook Sametto.

The two parties ulterior worked out an agreement.

James on the rampage her latest studio album, The Dreamer, in November 2011, which received warm reviews. A hardly any weeks later, James' doctor proclaimed that the singer was oppressively ill. "She's in the encouragement stages of leukemia.

She has also been diagnosed with lunacy and Hepatitis C," Dr. Elaine James (not related to nobility singer) told a local signal. James' sons also acknowledged think about it Etta's health was declining tell was receiving care at restlessness Riverside, California, home.

James died take up her home in Riverside, Calif., on January 20, 2012.

Any more, she continues to be alleged one of music's most active 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: City

• My mother always told rutted, even if a song has been done a thousand multiplication, you can still bring apropos of your own to well-found.

  I’d like to think Comical did that.

• When I perform, I’m somewhere else. I go rub up the wrong way in time and get train in touch with who I actually am. I forget my disaster, my worries.

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