Etta+James



Etta James is truly a force of nature, with her unapologetic boldness and genius in innovation. She has a raspy voice with hardness of pain, that can turn into silk at any moment. She is a master of Jazz, Blues, R&B, and Rock&Roll. Etta James is one of the best singers and song writers, with hits like "At Last" and "The Wallflower". She has won three grammy's and has many timeless, classic songs that will forever be remembered in history.

Etta James (originally Jamesetta Hawkins) was born on January 25, 1938 in Los Angelas, California. Her mother, Dorthy Hawkins, was only 14 when she had Etta. Her father, as told by her mother, is rumored to be famous pool player Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone. Etta grew up singing in her church choir, and recieved her first professional training, at the young age of 5, by James Earle Hines.

In 1950 James, at the age of twelve, and her family moved to San Fransico. Soon James became heavily interested in R&B and Blues music and decided she would try a career as a singer, being particualrly influenced by [|Billie Holiday]. James joined a teenage doo- wop singing group with two other girls. They called themselves "The Creolettes". They were only fourteen when they auditioned for the famous Johnny Otis. Thier successful audtion helped land them a recording deal with Modern Records. Encouraged by Otis, James decided to change her name to the more catchy Etta James, and "The Creolettes" took on the name "Peaches". Without her mothers permission, Etta and The Peaches went on to Los Angelas, California to record thier first single. The single they recorded was inspired by the the current song "Work With Me Annie" by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, but Etta James and the Peaches decided the song was to tame for them, so they transformed it into "Roll With Me Henry". The song was later renamed "Wallflower" and it hit #2 on the R&B charts in 1955. The song was also a later hit in the white market for Georgia Gibbs. Shortly after, The Peaches split and James started her solo career. James next song, "Good Rockin' Daddy", attracted blues fans from all over.

Etta James went from a teen sensation to a mature establshed singer. In 1960, James signed a recording contract with [|Chess Records]. Shortly after she had her first R&B solo hit with song "All I Could Do Was Cry". The song quickly went up the Billboard R&B Charts, reaching #2 in 1960. Her next hit was "My Dearest Darling", which reached #5 on the charts in the same year. During this time, James did back up vocals, for Rock & Roll sensation [|Chuck Berry], in the song "Back In The USA". That same year, James released her debut album off Chess Records named //At Last//. Lenard Chess, head producer of Chess Records, imagined James a classic ballad- styled singer who had potential to cross over to the Pop charts. Chess began to incorporate string instruments into James recording sessions, which is first seen on her 1961 hit "At Last". The song had great success, reaching #2 on the Billboard R&B Charts and also peaked #47 on the Pop Charts. The song soon became her signature song, making her the first African American woman to cross over to the Billboards Pop Chart. Also in 1961, James had another hit with song "Trust In Me". In the same year James released her second entiltled The Second Time Around, which was inspired by Soul music. The album was created trying to cover the Pop standards. One of the songs on the album, "Fool That I Am" reached #15 on the Pop charts, and a smaill hit on the Pop Chart with song "Dont Cry Baby". James songs have ranked amoungst the greatest Blues recordings ever.

In the mid 1960's James began to struggle with a horrible [|herion addiction], which would last up to 1974. For years she spent alot of her time in and out of rehabilitation hospitals. Despite her drug problem, James continued to release albums, during the 60's and 70's, with hit songs such as, "Tell Mama", "Something's Got A Hold On Me", "Stop the Wedding", "Pushover", "Loser Weeper's", "Two Sides (To every Story)" and "Pay Back". James musical style has changed in many ways over the years. In the beginning of her career during the mid 50's, James had a R&B style. After sining for Chess Records, she came out as a Pop- styled singer, covering jazz and blues music. During the late 60's and 70's, James took a different approach with her up-beat soul music.

Etta James music has touched and influenced many artist, such as Janis Joplin, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Christina Aguilera, and even the Rolling Stones. In 1993 James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2001 she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 2003 she was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked her #62 on thier list of Greatest Artist of all Time. She has been nominated for six grammies and have won three of them. James was recently portrayed by R&B actress Beyonce Knowles, in the film //Cadillac Records.// The film was released on December 8, 2008, and told the story of James and other Chess Records artist. Etta James has had an incredible career and she is still going strong today.

__Works Cited__

__Etta James All The Way__. 18 Feb. 2009 .

__Etta James__. 18 Feb. 2009 .

Dahl, Bill. __Etta james: Biography__. 18 Feb. 2009 .