Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the
Chitlin' Circuit, in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. She sang in various genres, including
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
,
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
R&B,
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
and
soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
and gained fame with hits such as "
The Wallflower" (1955), "
At Last" (1960), "
Something's Got a Hold on Me" (1962), "
Tell Mama
Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) is a national project which records and measures anti-Muslim incidents in the United Kingdom. It is modelled on the Jewish Community Security Trust (CST) and like the CST it also provides support for ...
" and "
I'd Rather Go Blind" (both 1967). She faced a number of personal problems, including
heroin addiction, severe physical abuse and
incarceration
Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered " false imprisonment". Impri ...
, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album ''
Seven Year Itch'' (1988).
James's deep and earthy voice is considered to have bridged the gap between R&B and rock and roll. She won three
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
for her albums (2005 - Best Traditional Blues Album for ''
Blues to the Bone''; 2004 - Best Contemporary Blues Album for ''
Let's Roll'' and 1995 -
Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female for ''
Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday'') and 17
Blues Music Award
The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...
s. She was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 1993, the
Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and the
Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum operated by the Blues Foundation at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to b ...
in 2001.
["Etta James Hospitalized, Tour Suspended"](_blank)
. ''DownBeat'', July 27, 2007. She also received the
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is a special Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achiev ...
in 2003.
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine ranked James number 22 on its 2008 list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time"; she was also ranked number 62 in its list of the "
100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine's 2015 list of the "35 Greatest R&B Artists of All Time" also included James, whose "gutsy, take-no-prisoner vocals colorfully interpreted everything from blues and R&B/soul to rock n’roll, jazz and gospel." The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named her "one of the greatest voices of her century" and "forever the matriarch of blues."
Life and career
1938–1959: Childhood and career beginnings
Jamesetta Hawkins was born on January 25, 1938, in Los Angeles, California, to Dorothy Hawkins, who was 14 at the time. Although her father has never been identified,
James speculated that she was the daughter of pool player
Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, whom she met briefly in 1987. Her mother was frequently absent from their apartment in
Watts
Watts is plural for ''watt'', the unit of power.
Watts may also refer to:
People
*Watts (surname), a list of people with the surname Watts
Fictional characters
*Albie Watts, a fictional character in the British soap opera ''EastEnders''
*Angie ...
, conducting relationships with various men, and James lived with a series of foster parents, most notably "Sarge" and "Mama" Lu. James referred to her mother as "the Mystery Lady".
[ James was raised by relatives and friends during her childhood, and she began regularly attending a ]Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
church while in the care of her grandparents.
James received her first professional vocal training at the age of five from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
at the St. Paul Baptist Church in South-Central Los Angeles. She became a soloist in the choir despite her young age and performed with them on local radio stations. She quickly gained attention for having a strong voice for a child. Hines often punched her in the chest while she sang to force her voice to come from her gut.
Sarge, like the musical director for the choir, was also abusive. During drunken poker games at home, he would awaken James in the early morning hours and force her with beatings to sing for his friends. The trauma of her foster father forcing her to sing under these humiliating circumstances caused her to have difficulties with singing on demand throughout her career.
In 1950, Mama Lu died, and James's biological mother took her to the Fillmore district of San Francisco. Within a couple of years, she began listening to doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
and was inspired to form a girl group, the Creolettes (so named for the members' light-skinned complexions).
At the age of 14, she met musician Johnny Otis. Stories on how they met vary. In Otis's version, she came to his hotel after one of his performances in the city and persuaded him to audition her. Another story was that Otis spotted the Creolettes performing at a Los Angeles nightclub and sought for them to record his " answer song" to Hank Ballard's " Work with Me, Annie". Otis took the Creolettes under his wing and helped them sign to Modern Records
Modern Records (Modern Music Records before 1947) was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. Modern's artists included Hadda Brooks, Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turn ...
, at which point they changed their name to Peaches. At this time Otis also gave James her stage name, transposing "Jamesetta" (her given first name) into "Etta James." In 1954, James recorded and was credited as co-author for " The Wallflower" (a title change to the aforementioned song, "Work with Me, Annie"), which was released in early 1955. The original title of the song was actually "Roll with Me, Henry", but it had been changed to avoid censorship at the time (''roll'' implying sexual activity). In February 1955, the song reached number one on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Tracks chart. Its success also gave the Peaches an opening spot on Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...
's national tour.[White, Charles (2003). ''The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography''. Omnibus Press. pp. 68, 78.]
While James was on tour with Richard, pop singer Georgia Gibbs recorded a version of her song and released it under the again-altered title "Dance With Me, Henry." It became a crossover hit, reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, which angered James.
After leaving the Peaches, James had another R&B hit with "Good Rockin' Daddy" but struggled with follow-ups. When her contract with Modern came up for renewal in 1960, she signed a contract with Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock an ...
instead, with which she would go on to become one of the label's earliest stars. Around this time, she became involved in a relationship with the singer Harvey Fuqua, the founder of the doo-wop group the Moonglows.
Musician Bobby Murray toured with James for over 20 years. He wrote that James had her first hit single when she was 15 years old and went steady with B.B. King when she was 16. James believed that King's hit single "Sweet Sixteen" was about her. In early 1955, she and an aspiring singer, the 19-year-old Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
, then recording for Sun Studios and an avid fan of King's, shared a bill in a large club just outside Memphis. In her autobiography, she noted how impressed she was with the young singer's manners. She also recalled how happy he made her many years later when she found out that it was Presley who had moved her close friend Jackie Wilson from a substandard convalescent home to a more appropriate facility and, as she put it, paid all the expenses. Presley died a year later. Wilson went on to live for another ten years in the care center Presley found for him.
1960–1978: Chess and Warner Bros. year
James' first hit singles with Fuqua were "If I Can't Have You" and " Spoonful". Her first solo hit was the doo-wop–styled rhythm-and-blues song " All I Could Do Was Cry", which was a number two R&B hit. Chess Records co-founder Leonard Chess
Leonard Samuel Chess (born Lejzor Szmuel Czyż; March 12, 1917 – October 16, 1969) was a Polish-American record company executive and the founder of Chess Records alongside his brother Phil. He was influential in the development of the recor ...
envisioned James as a classic ballad stylist who had potential to cross over to the pop charts and soon surrounded the singer with violins and other string instruments. The first string-laden ballad James recorded was "My Dearest Darling" in May 1960, which peaked in the top five of the R&B chart. James sang background vocals for her labelmate Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
on his " Back in the U.S.A."
Her debut album, ''At Last!
''At Last!'' is the debut studio album by American blues and soul artist Etta James. Released on Argo Records in November 1960, the album was produced by Phil and Leonard Chess. ''At Last!'' rose to no. 12 on the ''Billboard'' Top Catalog Alb ...
'', was released in late 1960 and was noted for its varied selection of music, from jazz standards
Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...
to blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
to doo-wop and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
(R&B). The album included the future classics " I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "A Sunday Kind of Love
"A Sunday Kind of Love" is a popular music, popular song composed by Barbara Belle, Anita Leonard, Stan Rhodes, and Louis Prima and was published in 1946 in music, 1946.
History
The song has become a popular music, pop and jazz standard, recorde ...
". In early 1961, James released what was to become her signature song, " At Last", a Glenn Miller
Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...
tune, which reached number two on the R&B chart and number 47 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Though the record was not as successful as expected, her rendition has become the best-known version of the song. James followed this with "Trust in Me", which also included string instruments. Later that same year (1960), James released a second studio album, '' The Second Time Around''. The album took the same direction as her first, covering jazz and pop standards and with strings on many of the songs. It produced two hit singles, "Fool That I Am" and "Don't Cry Baby".
James started adding gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
elements in her music the following year, releasing "Something's Got a Hold on Me", which peaked at number four on the R&B chart and was a Top 40 pop hit. That success was quickly followed by "Stop the Wedding", which reached number six on the R&B chart and also had gospel elements. In 1963, she had another major hit with "Pushover" and released the live album '' Etta James Rocks the House'', recorded at the New Era Club in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. After a couple of years of minor hits, James's career started to suffer after 1965. After a period of isolation, she returned to recording in 1967 and reemerged with more gutsy R&B numbers thanks to her recording at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located on the left bank of the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, its population was 13,146. The estimated popula ...
. These sessions yielded her comeback hit "Tell Mama
Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) is a national project which records and measures anti-Muslim incidents in the United Kingdom. It is modelled on the Jewish Community Security Trust (CST) and like the CST it also provides support for ...
", co-written by Clarence Carter
Clarence George Carter (born January 14, 1936) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. His most successful songs include "Slip Away (Clarence Carter song), Slip Away", "Back Door Santa" (both released 1968), "Patches (Ch ...
, which reached number ten on the R&B chart and number twenty-three for pop. An album of the same name was also released that year and included her take on Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
's "Security". The B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
of "Tell Mama" was " I'd Rather Go Blind", which became a blues classic and has been recorded by many other artists. In her autobiography, ''Rage to Survive'', she wrote that she heard the song outlined by her friend Ellington "Fugi" Jordan when she visited him in prison. According to her account, she wrote the rest of the song with Jordan but for tax reasons gave her songwriting credit to her partner at the time, Billy Foster.
Following this success, James became an in-demand concert performer, though she never again reached the heyday of her early to mid-1960s success. Her records continued to chart in the R&B Top 40 in the early 1970s, with singles such as "Losers Weepers" (1970) and "I Found a Love" (1972). Though James continued to record for Chess, she was devastated by the death of record executive Leonard Chess
Leonard Samuel Chess (born Lejzor Szmuel Czyż; March 12, 1917 – October 16, 1969) was a Polish-American record company executive and the founder of Chess Records alongside his brother Phil. He was influential in the development of the recor ...
in 1969. James ventured into rock and funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
with the release of her self-titled album in 1973, with production from the famed rock producer Gabriel Mekler, who had worked with Steppenwolf and Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...
. Joplin had admired James and had covered "Tell Mama" in concert. James' 1973 album, exhibiting a mixture of musical styles, was nominated for a Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
. The album did not produce any major hits, however, and neither did the follow-up album, '' Come a Little Closer'', in 1974, though, like '73's ''Etta James'' before it, the album was also critically acclaimed.
In 1975, James opened up for comedian Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...
at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles.
James continued to record for Chess (now owned by All Platinum Records), releasing one more album in 1976, '' Etta Is Betta Than Evvah!'' Her 1978 album '' Deep in the Night'', produced by Jerry Wexler
Gerald Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integra ...
for Warner Bros., incorporated more rock-based music in her repertoire. That same year, James was the opening act for the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
and performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Following this brief success, however, she left Chess Records and did not record for another ten years while she struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism.
1982–1998: Continued performances and return to recording
Amid her hiatus from recording, James still performed on occasion through the early and mid-1980s, including two guest appearances at Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
concerts in December 1982. and was a guest on John Mayall's Blues Breakers 1982 reunion show in New Jersey. In 1984, she contacted David Wolper and asked to perform in the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...
, at which she sang " When the Saints Go Marching In". In 1987, she performed " Rock and Roll Music" with Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
in the documentary film '' Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll''.
In 1989, she signed with Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
and with them released the albums '' Seven Year Itch'' and '' Stickin' to My Guns'', both of which were produced by Barry Beckett and recorded at FAME Studios. Also in 1989 James was filmed in a concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles with Joe Walsh and Albert Collins for the film '' Jazzvisions: Jump the Blues Away''. Many of the backing musicians were top-flight players from Los Angeles: Rick Rosas (bass), Michael Huey (drums), Ed Sanford (Hammond B3 organ), Kip Noble (piano) and Josh Sklair, James' longtime guitar player.
James participated with the rap singer Def Jef
Def Jef is the stage name of Jeffrey Fortson (born September 27, 1970), an American alternative hip hop musician and rapper of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was born in Harlem, New York City.
His debut album was 1989's '' Just a Poet wi ...
on the song "Droppin' Rhymes on Drums", which mixed James's jazz vocals with hip-hop. In 1992, she recorded the album '' The Right Time'', produced by Jerry Wexler
Gerald Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integra ...
for Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 1993.
James signed with Private Music Records in 1993 and recorded a Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...
tribute album, '' Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday''. The album set a trend of incorporating more jazz elements in James's music. The album won James her first Grammy Award, for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female, in 1994. In 1995, her autobiography, ''Rage to Survive'', co-written with David Ritz, was published. Also in 1995, she recorded the album ''Time After Time''. A Christmas album, '' 12 Songs of Christmas'', was released in 1998.
By the mid-1990s, James's earlier music—by now considered classic—was being used in commercials, including " I Just Wanna Make Love to You", for example. After an excerpt of that song was featured in a Diet Coke advertising campaign in the UK, the song again charted, reaching the top ten on the UK charts in 1996.
By 1998, with the release of '' Life, Love & the Blues'', James had added as backing musicians her own sons, Donto and Sametto, on drums and bass, respectively. They were part of her touring band. She continued recording for Private Music, which released the blues album '' Matriarch of the Blues'' in 2000, on which she returned to her R&B roots.
2001–2011: Later years and legacy
In 2001, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum operated by the Blues Foundation at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to b ...
and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The original Rockabilly Hall of Fame was an organization and website launched on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relating to the artists and personalities involved in rockabilly.
Headquartered in Nashville ...
, the latter for her contributions to the developments of both rock and roll and rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...
. In 2003, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is a special Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achiev ...
. On her 2004 release, ''Blue Gardenia'', she returned to a jazz style. Her final album for Private Music, '' Let's Roll'', released in 2005, won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
In 2004, ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine ranked her number 62 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
James performed at the top jazz festivals in the world, such as the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1977, 1989, 1990 and 1993. She performed nine times at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz ...
and five times at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. She performed at the Playboy Jazz Festival in 1990, 1997, 2004, and 2007. She performed six times at the North Sea Jazz Festival
The North Sea Jazz Festival is a festival held annually on the second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. The festival moved to Rotterdam in 2006 after the demolition of the Statenhal in The Hague where it was originally held. ...
, in 1978, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993. She performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2006 and 2009 (prior 2012 credit - after date of death). She also often performed at free summer arts festivals throughout the United States.
In 2008, James was portrayed by singer Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
in the film '' Cadillac Records'', a fictional account of Chess Records, James's label for 18 years, about how label founder and producer Leonard Chess helped the careers of James and others. The film included "At Last," performed by Beyoncé. Beyoncé was invited to perform the song at Barack Obama's inaugural ball. In the following weeks James publicly complained that Beyoncé was “singing my song,” but later added that her critical remarks were meant to be received as a joke and stemmed from personal hurt over not having been invited to the sing the song herself for the Obama inauguration. It was later reported that Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
and "drug-induced dementia
Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
" had contributed to her negative comments about Knowles.
In April 2009, at the age of 71, James made her final television appearance, performing "At Last" on the program ''Dancing with the Stars
''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
''. In May 2009, she received the Soul/Blues Female Artist of the Year award from the Blues Foundation, the ninth time she won that award. She carried on touring but by 2010 had to cancel concert dates because of her gradually failing health; by this time she was suffering from dementia
Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
and leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
. In November 2011, James released her final album, '' The Dreamer'', to critical acclaim. She announced her retirement at the time of its release.
James' enduring relevance was affirmed in 2011 when the Swedish DJ Avicii achieved substantial chart success with the song " Levels", which samples her 1962 song " Something's Got a Hold on Me". The same sample was used by the east coast rapper Flo Rida
Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...
in his 2011 hit single " Good Feeling". Both artists issued statements of condolence upon James's death. James' original classic music again charted after these 21st-century re-interpretations.
Style and influence
James possessed the vocal range of a contralto
A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types.
The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...
. Her musical style changed during the course of her career. At the beginning of her recording career, in the mid-1950s, James was marketed as an R&B and doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
singer. After signing with Chess Records in 1960, James broke through as a traditional pop
Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western culture, Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known ...
-styled singer, covering jazz and pop music standards on her debut album, ''At Last!'' James's voice deepened and coarsened, moving her musical style in her later years into the genres of soul and jazz.
James was once considered one of the most overlooked blues and R&B musicians in the music history of the United States
Music history of the United States includes many styles of American roots music, folk, American popular music, popular and American classical music, classical music. Some of the best-known genres of American music are rhythm and blues, jazz, ro ...
. It was not until the early 1990s, when she began receiving major industry awards from the Grammys and the Blues Foundation, that she received wide recognition. In more recent years, she has been hailed as a pioneer who helped bridge the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll and thereby contributed significantly to American musical history. James has influenced a wide variety of musicians, including, notably, Diana Ross
Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...
, Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
, Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...
, Brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...
, Shemekia Copeland, Beth Hart
Beth Hart (born January 24, 1972) is an American musician from Los Angeles, California. She rose to fame with the release of her 1999 single "LA Song (Out of This Town)" from her second album ''Screamin' for My Supper''. The single was a number ...
, Hayley Williams of Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...
and Brent Smith of Shinedown as well as British artists The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
, Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1945) is an English Rock music, rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe (band), Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest su ...
, Paloma Faith, Joss Stone, Rita Ora
Rita Sahatçiu Ora (; born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer-songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born in Pristina, modern-day Kosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured on DJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Rig ...
, Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...
, and Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
, and the Belgian singer Dani Klein.
In particular, her song " Something's Got a Hold on Me" has been recognized in many ways. Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
music act Vaya Con Dios covered the song on their 1990 album '' Night Owls''. Another version, performed by Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
, was in the 2010 film ''Burlesque
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. ''. Pretty Lights sampled the song in "Finally Moving", followed by Avicii's dance hit " Levels", and again in Flo Rida
Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...
's single " Good Feeling".
British blues band Chicken Shack
Chicken Shack are a British blues band, founded in the mid-1960s by Stan Webb (guitarist), Stan Webb (guitar and vocals), Andy Silvester (bass guitar), and Alan Morley (drums), who were later joined by Christine McVie, Christine Perfect (later ...
recorded Etta James’ 1967 single " I'd Rather Go Blind", which ended up becoming very successful for the band, with Christine McVie
Christine Anne McVie (; Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of the rock band Fleetwood Mac.
McVie was a member of several bands, notably Chic ...
singing lead vocals. The single was successful enough that it garnered Christine McVie
Christine Anne McVie (; Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of the rock band Fleetwood Mac.
McVie was a member of several bands, notably Chic ...
the Top Female Singer on the Melody Maker's Reader's Poll in 1969.
Personal life
Religion
Through her mother, Dorothy, James was introduced to the Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A centralized and hierarchical organization, the NOI is committed to black nationalism and focuses its attention on the Afr ...
. Dorothy attended occasional meetings at Nation of Islam Temple No. 27 in Los Angeles and relayed the teachings to her daughter. Under the care of her grandparents, however, James was raised Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
. In her adult years, James and a friend began attending a Nation of Islam temple in Atlanta, where she found comfort in the preaching of Minister Louis X and a sense of "racial pride". She took on the name ''Jamesetta X'' and later joined Malcolm X
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...
’s temple in Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
; she remained a member for about a decade. It was in Harlem that James became friends with young boxer Cassius Clay, who later changed his name to Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
. She didn't strictly follow their beliefs, saying it was "something of a fad" and the "radical, the 'in' thing to do" at the time.
Marriage and children
James was married to Artis Mills from 1969 until her death in 2012. She had two sons, Donto James and Sametto James, born to different fathers. Both of her sons became musicians and eventually performed professionally with their mother; Donto played drums at Montreux in 1993 and Sametto played bass guitar circa 2003, among other performances and tours.
Legal difficulties and drug addiction
By the mid-1960s, James suffered from an addiction to heroin. To finance her habit, she bounced checks, forged prescriptions and stole from her friends. In 1966, she was arrested for writing bad checks; she was placed on probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine. In 1969, she spent 10 days in jail for violating her probation.
James was continuously in and out of rehabilitation centers, including the Tarzana Treatment Centers, in Los Angeles. Her husband, Artis Mills, accepted responsibility when they were both arrested for heroin possession and served a 10-year prison sentence. He was released from prison in 1981.
In 1973, James was arrested for possession of heroin. In 1974, she was sentenced to drug treatment instead of prison. During this period, she became addicted to methadone and would mix her doses with heroin. She was in the Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital for 17 months, starting at the age of 36 and went through a great struggle. In her 1995 autobiography ''Rage to Survive'', she said that the time she spent in the hospital changed her life. After leaving treatment, however, her substance abuse continued, particularly after she developed a relationship with a man who was also using drugs.
In 2010, James received treatment for a dependency on painkillers.
Illness and death
James was hospitalized in January 2010 to treat an infection caused by MRSA
Methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) is a group of gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of ''Staphylococcus aureus''. MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. ...
, a bacterium resistant to many antibiotics. During her hospitalization, her son Donto revealed to the public that, in 2008, she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
.
In 2011, James was diagnosed with leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
. Artis Mills was appointed sole conservator of the James estate and tasked with overseeing her medical care. She died on January 20, 2012, at age 73, at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...
. Her death came three days after that of Johnny Otis, the man who had discovered her in the 1950s. Thirty-six days after her death, her sideman Red Holloway also died.
Her funeral was presided over by the Reverend Al Sharpton and took place at Greater Bethany Community Church in Gardena, California, eight days after her death. Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
and Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
gave musical tributes. She was buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Los Angeles County, California.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''At Last!
''At Last!'' is the debut studio album by American blues and soul artist Etta James. Released on Argo Records in November 1960, the album was produced by Phil and Leonard Chess. ''At Last!'' rose to no. 12 on the ''Billboard'' Top Catalog Alb ...
'' (1960)
* '' The Second Time Around'' (1961)
* ''Etta James
Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...
'' (1962)
* '' Etta James Sings for Lovers'' (1962)
* '' Etta James Top Ten'' (1963)
* '' The Queen of Soul'' (1965)
* '' Call My Name'' (1966)
* ''Tell Mama
Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) is a national project which records and measures anti-Muslim incidents in the United Kingdom. It is modelled on the Jewish Community Security Trust (CST) and like the CST it also provides support for ...
'' (1968)
* '' Etta James Sings Funk'' (1970)
* '' Losers Weepers'' (1971)
* ''Etta James
Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...
'' (1973)
* '' Come a Little Closer'' (1974)
* '' Etta Is Betta Than Evvah!'' (1976)
* '' Deep in the Night'' (1978)
* ''Changes
Changes may refer to:
Books
* '' Changes: A Love Story'', 1991 novel by Ama Ata Aidoo
* ''Changes'' (The Dresden Files) (2010), the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series
* ''Changes'', a 1983 novel by Danielle Steel
* ''Chan ...
'' (1980)
* '' Seven Year Itch'' (1988)
* '' Stickin' to My Guns'' (1990)
* '' The Right Time'' (1992)
* '' Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday'' (1994)
* '' Time After Time'' (1995)
* '' Love's Been Rough on Me'' (1997)
* '' Life, Love & the Blues'' (1998)
* '' Heart of a Woman'' (1999)
* '' Matriarch of the Blues'' (2000)
* '' Blue Gardenia'' (2001)
* '' Let's Roll'' (2003)
* '' Blues to the Bone'' (2004)
* '' All the Way'' (2006)
* '' The Dreamer'' (2011)
Awards
Beginning in 1989, James received over 30 awards and recognitions from eight different organizations, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...
which organizes the Grammys
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
.
In 1989, the newly formed Rhythm and Blues Foundation included James in their first Pioneer Awards for artists whose "lifelong contributions have been instrumental in the development of Rhythm & Blues music". The following year, 1990, she received an NAACP Image Award
The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...
, which is given for "outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts;" it was an award she cherished as it "was coming from my own people". In 2020, James was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame
The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame is an independent organization whose mission is to educate and to celebrate, preserve, promote, and present rhythm and blues music globally.
History
The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame was founde ...
.
*In 1993, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
*In 2001, James was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The original Rockabilly Hall of Fame was an organization and website launched on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relating to the artists and personalities involved in rockabilly.
Headquartered in Nashville ...
*In 2003, James received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
at 7080 Hollywood Blvd
*In 2005, James was inducted into Hollywood's Rockwalk
*In 2006, James received the Billboard R&B Founders Award
Grammys
The Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
s are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...
. James received six Grammy Awards. Her first was in 1995, when she was awarded Best Jazz Vocal Performance for the album ''Mystery Lady'', which consisted of covers of Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...
songs. Two other albums have also won awards, '' Let's Roll'' (Best Contemporary Blues Album) in 2003, and ''Blues to the Bone'' (Best Traditional Blues Album) in 2004. Two of her early songs have been given Grammy Hall of Fame Awards for "qualitative or historical significance": "At Last", in 1999, and " The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)" in 2008. In 2003, she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is a special Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achiev ...
.
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , ''All I Could Do Was Cry'' , , Best Rhythm & Blues Performance , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , ''Fool That I Am'' , , Best Rhythm & Blues Performance , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , ''Tell Mama
Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) is a national project which records and measures anti-Muslim incidents in the United Kingdom. It is modelled on the Jewish Community Security Trust (CST) and like the CST it also provides support for ...
''
, rowspan="4" , Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Female , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , ''Security'' , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , ''Etta James'' , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , ''St. Louis Blues'' , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , '' Seven Year Itch''
, rowspan="3", Best Contemporary Blues Recording , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , ''Stickin' to My Guns'' , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , ''The Right Time'', ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , ''Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday'' , , Best Jazz Vocal Performance , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2", , , '' At Last'', , Grammy Hall of Fame Award , ,
, -
, ''Life, Love & the Blues'' , , Best Contemporary Blues Album , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , '' Heart of a Woman'' , , Best Jazz Vocal Performance , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , ''Matriarch of the Blues'' , , Best Contemporary Blues Album , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , Etta James , , Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is a special Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achiev ...
, ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , '' Let's Roll'' , , Best Contemporary Blues Album , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , '' Blues to the Bone'' , , Best Traditional Blues Album , ,
, -
, style="text-align:center;", , , '' The Wallflower'', , Grammy Hall of Fame Award , ,
Blues Foundation
The members of the Blues Foundation, a nonprofit organization set up in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
, to foster the blues and its heritage, have nominated James for a Blues Music Award
The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...
nearly every year since its founding in 1980; and she received some form of Blues Female Artist of the Year award 14 times since 1989, continuously from 1999 to 2007. Her albums ''Life, Love, & the Blues'' (1999), ''Burnin' Down the House'' (2003), and ''Let's Roll'' (2004) were awarded Soul/Blues Album of the Year,[ and in 2001 she was inducted into the ]Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum operated by the Blues Foundation at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to b ...
.[
]
Books
* ''Rage To Survive: The Etta James Story'' (2003) by David Ritz with Etta James
* ''American Legends: The Life of Etta James'' (2014) by Charles River Editors,
References
Sources
*Gulla, Bob (2007). ''Icons of R&B and Soul'', Vol. 1. Greenwood Press. .
*James, Etta; Ritz, David (1998). ''Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story''. Da Capo Press. .
External links
* Tim Jonze
"Etta James, blues icon, dies aged 73"
''The Guardian'', January 20, 2012.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Etta
1938 births
2012 deaths
African-American women singer-songwriters
American women singer-songwriters
American blues singers
American contraltos
American memoirists
American soul singers
Argo Records artists
Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery
Cadet Records artists
Chess Records artists
Deaths from leukemia in California
Elektra Records artists
Former Nation of Islam members
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners
Island Records artists
Kent Records artists
Modern Records artists
Singers from Los Angeles
Private Music artists
RCA Victor artists
Soul-blues musicians
Traditional pop music singers
Verve Records artists
Virgin Records artists
West Coast blues musicians
Singer-songwriters from California
People with Alzheimer's disease
American women rock singers