Etta James (1938-2012) had one of the strongest voices in the history of blues, R&B, and soul music.
Etta James (1938-2012) had one of the strongest voices in the history of blues, R&B, and soul music.
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Today’s musician had one of the strongest voices in the history of blues, R&B, and soul music. She expertly walked the line between genres and released some iconic tunes you’d definitely recognize. Yet her career was hardly smooth sailing – thanks in part to her struggles with addiction that started early in her life. It took decades for her work to receive the true attention it deserves. Let’s talk about the iconic Etta James.
Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California, on January 25th, 1938. Her mother, Dorothy Hawkins, was only 14 years old at the time, and Etta never knew her father. Dorothy, however, said she believed Etta’s father was the nationally acclaimed pool shark Rudolf Wanderone aka, “Minnesota Fats.”
A variety of relatives and friends took on the responsibility of raising Etta. While she was living with her grand parents, she started regularly attending church and joined the choir before she was even a teenager. Her voice was so strong, she became a soloist, and even recorded some radio broadcasts with the group.
When Etta was 12, her foster mother passed away. Dorothy reappeared and took Etta to San Francisco – however, Etta was still mostly left to her own devices. She later recalled, "[My mother] was never there when I got off from school so I could pretty much do what I wanted to do … drinking, smoking weed."
Etta’s interest in music was also deepening. Inspired by the doo-wop she was listening to, she started a girl group called the “Creolettes” with two friends. They created the song “Roll with Me Henry,” a racy spinoff of the Hank Ballard song “Work with Me Annie.”
The famous talent scout and bandleader Johnny Otis heard their tune and instantly saw Etta’s potential. He offered to take her band to Los Angeles and record “Roll with Me Henry” – but only if Etta was 18, and if her mother gave her signed consent. Etta lied about her age, then went home and forged her mother’s signature – after all, Dorothy was in prison at the time.
The Creolettes traveled to Los Angeles and changed their name to The Peaches for the record. This is also when Etta took on her stage name, Etta James, a reversal of her first name, Jamesetta.
And because the original title was considered inappropriate, “Roll with Me Henry” was renamed “The Wallflower.” It became a hit song in 1955. The Peaches also charted with a new song, “Good Rockin’ Daddy,” but later broke up and Etta started pursuing her solo career.
Despite her group’s earlier hits, Etta’s career was slow going at first. She got by touring small clubs and recording singles that didn’t sell much. Then, in 1960, Chess Records signed her. Right away, Etta scored a few hits off the label – “All I could Do Was Cry,” “My Dearest Darling,” and “Trust in Me.” She was Chess Records’ first major female star, and her relationship with them would continue for over a decade. In this period, she also released her legendary recording of “At Last” – one of her most recognizable songs.
Etta’s career finally took off. She recorded several more upbeat, house-rocking songs like "Something's Got a Hold On Me" in 1962.
Though Etta’s career was going well, she was struggling behind the scenes. By the 1960s , she was addicted to heroin. She was barely managing to balance her drug habit with the demands of her career – especially as she dealt with a series of abusive relationships, and as she fought Chess Records to receive her royalties.
Etta even went to jail several times for drug use, drug possession, petty crime, and violating her probation. This caused her career to slump in the mid 60’s – but surprisingly, she managed to put out a couple more hit songs in a grittier R&B style in the late 60’s. These included “I’d Rather Go Blind,” a brooding ballad about relationship jealousy that became one of the most celebrated soul songs ever recorded.
Etta later summed up her thoughts on the Blues when she told the Los AngelesTimes, “A lot of people think the blues is depressing, but that’s not the blues I’m singing. When I’m singing blues, I’m singing life. People that can’t stand to listen to the blues, they’ve got to be phonies.”
Etta’s addiction returned with abandon in the early 70’s. In 1973, the court ordered her to enter rehab, and she spent most of the decade sober. She was still recording albums, touring small clubs, and performing at blues festivals – but she didn’t have the same level of fame as she did during the release of “At Last.”
However, Etta’s up-and-down career found the spotlight yet again in 1978 after the Rolling Stones invited Etta to open a few of their shows while they were on tour. After that, Etta signed with Warner Bros. and released the album Deep in the Night. It wasn’t a particularly popular album, but it was overall well-received and proved that Etta still had a strong voice and serious skill for blues and R&B.
In the 80’s Etta once again found herself struggling with addiction after a relationship with another addict.
But she was determined to get back on track. She went to rehab yet again in 1988, signed with a new record label, and released a comeback album, Seven Year Itch. The record had decent sales, and it seemed Etta was finally getting the momentum and attention she deserved. She released two more albums in the early 90’s and, in 1993, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame.
In 1994, Etta released an album tribute to Billie Holiday, one of her key influences. The release earned Etta her first Grammy – and it wouldn’t be her last. She’d go on to earn three more Grammy awards. She was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2008.
In 1995, Etta published an autobiography, “Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story.” The book intimately depicts Etta’s drug problems, her trips to rehab, and the ups and downs of her career.
Etta James released her 29th and final studio album, The Dreamer, in 2011. Later that year, she was diagnosed with leukemia and she passed away on January 20, 2012, in Riverside, California. She was 73 years old.