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Etta James <tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3"> Etta James </td></tr>

Background information <tr><td>Birth name</td><td colspan="2">Jamesetta Hawkins</td></tr><tr><td>Born</td><td colspan="2">January 25, 1938</td></tr><tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">Los Angeles, California</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">R&B Music, jazz</td></tr><tr><td>Occupation(s)</td><td colspan="2">R&B Singer</td></tr><tr><td>Years active</td><td colspan="2">1955-Present</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right: 1em;">Label(s)</td><td colspan="2">Chess Records</td></tr>

Etta James (b. Jamesetta Hawkins January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles, California) is an American blues, R & B, jazz and gospel singer. She is also known by the nickname Miss Peaches. She is best known for her 1961 hit song "At Last".

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career & Rise to Fame 3 Selected discography 3.1 Albums 3.2 Singles 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Early life

Etta James was born to an unmarried 14-year-old African American mother. Born clearly bi-racial^{[citation needed]}, she claimed her mother told her that her father was Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, and that they received financial support from him on the condition that they keep her paternity a secret. She received her first professional vocal training at the age of 5, from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir at St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

Her family moved to San Francisco, California in 1950, and in 1952 the trio (the Creolettes) she had formed with two of her friends came to the attention of Johnny Otis. Otis reversed the syllables of her first name to give her her stage name and began recording her.

[edit] Career & Rise to Fame

Her first record, and her first R & B hit, was her own composition, "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)," an answer song to Hank Ballard's "Work with Me, Annie". She recorded it in 1954 with the Otis band and Richard Berry, who sang the second vocal. The song was later a hit in the white market for Georgia Gibbs, re-written as "Dance with Me, Henry". She briefly recorded as Etta James & the Peaches, releasing several hits before signing to Chess Records in 1960.

She toured with Johnny "Guitar" Watson along with Otis in the '50s, and has cited Watson as the penultimate influence on her style.

James released several duets with Harvey Fuqua (of The Moonglows) that became major R&B hits, as well as her classic "At Last". The song, along with other early hits "All I Could Do Was Cry" and "Trust in Me," was included on her debut album At Last!.

In 1967, James recorded "Tell Mama" and its flip side "I'd Rather Go Blind", with "At Last" perhaps her most enduring song (and her biggest pop single, at #23 on the Hot 100), in Muscle Shoals. Her singing is characterized by accomplished vocal technique and strong jazz influences. She won the Grammy for best jazz vocal in 1994 for her CD Mystery Lady, a collection of songs associated with Billie Holiday, and in 2004 won the Grammy for best contemporary blues album with Let's Roll. In 2003 she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

To a younger generation, Etta is known for the Muddy Waters song "I Just Wanna Make Love To You", used in television commercials for Coca-Cola and for John Smith's bitter. The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry and Foghat have also recorded the song. Etta's version was a surprise Top 10 UK hit in 1995.

Drug-related and romantic problems interfered with her career, but James managed to maintain a career throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Later in life, James struggled with obesity. She reached more than 400 pounds, experienced mobility and knee problems, and often needed a wheelchair. In 2003, James underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost over 200 pounds. [1]

James was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame. Her pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 2003 she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is still touring in 2006.

[edit] Selected discography

[edit] Albums

Album	Year	Label
At Last!	1961	Chess
The Second Time Around	1961	Chess
Etta James: Top Ten	1963	Cadet
Etta James Rocks the House	1964	Chess
Tell Mama	1968	Chess
Etta James	1973	Cadet
Come a Little Closer	1974	Chess
Deep In the Night	1978	Bullseye
The Right Time	1992	Elecktra
Love's Been Rough On Me	1997	Private
Life, Love & the Blues	1998	Private
Matriach of the Blues	2000	Private
Blue Gardenia	2001	Private
Burnin' Down the House: Live At the House of Blues	2002	Private
Let's Roll	2003	Private
All the Way	2006	Private

[edit] Singles

Title	Year	U.S. R&B	U.S. Billboard Hot 100/U.S. Pop	Easy Listening
"The Wallflower (Dance With Me, Henry)"	1955	1	-	-
"Good Rockin' Daddy"	1955	6	-	-
"If I Can't Have You" (Duet With Harvey Fuqua)	1960	6	52	-
"Spoonful"	1960	12	78	-
"All I Could Do Was Cry"	1960	2	33	-
"My Dearest Darling"	1960	5	34	-
"At Last"	1961	2	47	-
"Trust In Me"	1961	4	30	-
"Fool That I Am"	1961	14	50	-
"Dream"	1961	-	55	-
"Don't Cry, Baby"	1961	6	39	-
"Something's Got a Hold on Me"	1962	4	37	-
"Stop the Wedding"	1962	6	34	-
"Pushover"	1963	7	25	-
"Two Sides (To Every Story)"	1963	-	63	16
"Tell Mama"	1968	10	23	-
"Security"	1968	11	35	-
"I Got You Babe"	1968	32	69	-
"Almost Persuaded"	1969	32	79	-
"Sound of Love"	1970	-	-	-
"All the Way Down"	1973	29	-	-

[edit] References

<references/>

[edit] External links

• Etta James discography
• Etta James websitede:Etta James

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