Jamesetta Hawkins began her relationship with music in church, where she sang in the choir from the age of five. In 1950 James moved to San Francisco to form a singing group. At fourteen she auditioned and began recording both solo and with the singing group the Peaches, with songs like ‘Roll With Me Henry’.
At Last!
It was only when James signed with the Chess Records label in Chicago in 1960 that everything started to take off. She recorded her first album, featuring the classics ‘At Last’ and ‘Trust in Me’. She also recorded a live album in Nashville. She stayed with the label until 1975, enjoyed much success and toured. During this period James struggled with heroin addiction and mental health issues.
Comeback
In 1988 James was fully back, and in the following years made excursions into jazz, blues and soul with the albums Seven Year Itch, Sticking to My Guns (1990) and The Right Time (1992). Her version of ‘I Just Want to Make Love to You’, a cover of Muddy Waters, was used in a soft drink commercial. This rendition brought the singer renewed recognition. In 2009 her music came back into the spotlight when singer Beyoncé Knowles performed ‘At Last’ for the Obamas at the inauguration ball of the new American president. This was inspired by Beyoncé's portrayal of James in the film Cadillac Records (2008).
In 2010 it became known that Etta James had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years and in January 2011 she was treated for leukaemia. From that moment her health rapidly declined, and in early December 2011 it became clear she could no longer be saved. Etta James died on Friday 20 January 2012 at the age of 73 in California, as a result of leukaemia.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000 Etta appears with two entries:
Sunday Morning Classic
Some artists have to wait a little longer to take the stage of the Sunday Morning Classic. That is purely coincidental and says nothing about the quality of the singer and the album in question. On 28 August 2022 it was the turn of legend Etta James with her 7th studio album Tell Mama from 1968.
The album Tell Mama is initially of course carried by the powerful voice of Etta James. The first two songs are of exceptional quality. Tell Mama is her best-known song, which is somewhere between blues and soul, or old R&B. The single "Tell Mama" gave James her highest ever position in the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 23.
The other songs are certainly no slouches either. Etta sings songs by, among others, Otis Redding, Don Covay and Jimmy Hughes and does so as if they are 100 percent hers. With lots of spirit and infectious enthusiasm, but above all with that amazing voice. Goosebumps every time.
The great thing is that the original album of 12 songs has been expanded with the remaining 10 recorded songs. And just listen to, for example, the extra track I Got You Babe: it is really brilliantly arranged and sung. So you have 22 songs that are really good to great. Pure enjoyment for almost an hour.
Source: NPO, Musicmeter and Wikipedia Photo: Roland Godefroy and Louis Ramirez
Etta recorded dozens of albums throughout her life. There are too many to list here. If you are looking for a specific album, just let us know. We will search with you. Simply because we enjoy it!
