Etta James Musical artist

Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins; January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter. Her style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind" for which she wrote the lyrics. She faced a number of personal problems, including drug addiction, before making a musical resurgence in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch.James is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and was the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. Rolling Stone ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.

Personal facts

Etta James
Alias (AKA)
Jamesetta Hawkins
Miss Peaches
The Matriarch of R&B
Birth dateJanuary 25, 1938
Birth place
Los Angeles
Date of deathJanuary 20, 2012
Place of death
Riverside California

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Musical artist

Career started1954
Career ended2012
associated musical artist
Sugar Pie DeSanto
Johnny Otis
Harvey Fuqua
BackgroundSolo singer
genre
Blues
Jazz
Rhythm and blues
Rock and roll
Soul music
Gospel music
record label
PolyGram
Argo Records
Cadet Records
MCA Records
RCA Records
Island Records
Virgin Records
EMI
Chess Records
Elektra Records
Crown Records
Verve Records
Modern Records
Universal Records
Private Music

Etta James on Wikipedia

External resources

  1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jan/20/etta-james-dies-73?INTCMP=SRCH
  2. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty
  3. http://www.salon.com/2012/02/25/the_tough_love_of_etta_james