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Etta James | |
|---|---|
 James performing in France in July 1990 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jamesetta Hawkins |
| Born | January 25, 1938 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 20, 2012 (aged 73) Riverside, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1954–2011 |
| Labels | |
| Signature | |
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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 famed R&B clubs, collectively known as the Chitlin' Circuit, in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.[1] She sang in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul, and gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower" (1955), "At Last" (1960), "Something's Got a Hold on Me" (1962), "Tell Mama", and "I'd Rather Go Blind" (both 1967).[2] She faced a number of personal problems, including heroin addiction, severe physical abuse, and incarceration, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch (1988).[3]
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 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 Awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001.[4] She also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.[5] Rolling Stone 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".[6][7] Billboard 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."[8] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named her "one of the greatest voices of her century" and "forever the matriarch of blues."[9]
- ^ Paulson, David (February 18, 2021). "Nashville's smoldering R&B; scene where Jimi Hendrix 'learned to play' was invisible to Music City". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021.
- ^ James, Etta; Ritz, David (2003). Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story. Da Capo Press. p. 173. ISBN 9780306812620. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
- ^ Sonneborn, Liz (2002). A to Z of American Women in the Performing Arts. Infobase Publishing. p. 116. ISBN 9781438107905. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ^ "Etta James Hospitalized, Tour Suspended" Archived January 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. DownBeat, July 27, 2007.
- ^ "Etta James | American singer | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- ^ "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- ^ "The 35 Greatest R&B Artists Of All Time". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ "Etta James | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame". www.rockhall.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2022.