In , she moved to Los Angeles to record "The Wallflower. In , she released the album All the Way. James died in Riverside, California, on January 20, , and continues to be is considered one of the most dynamic singers in music. James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, , in Los Angeles, California, to a year-old mother, Dorothy Hawkins, who encouraged her daughter's singing career.
James would later say, "My mother always told me, even if a song has been done a thousand times, you can still bring something of your own to it. I'd like to think I did that. By the age of 5, James was known as a gospel prodigy, gaining fame by singing in her church choir and on the radio.
At age 12, she moved north to San Francisco, where she formed a trio and was soon working for bandleader Johnny Otis. It was that year that the young singer became Etta James a shortened version of her first name and her vocal group was dubbed "the Peaches" also Etta's nickname. Soon after, James launched her solo career with such hits as "Good Rockin' Daddy" in After signing with Chicago's Chess Records in , James' career began to soar.
James continued to work with Chess throughout the s and early '70s. Sadly, heroin addiction affected both her personal and professional life, but despite her continued drug problems she persisted in making new albums. As the s drew to a close, James frequently found herself on the road and penniless. Landing in Chicago, she managed to attract the attention of Leonard Chess of the Chicago-based Chess Records, an emerging company that was making a name for itself with artists like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
Four more reached the charts the following year, including the soulful ballad "At Last," which peaked at number two. In , James' "Something's Got a Hold on Me" reached the number four spot, the highest of her three hits that year. She also recorded several duets with Harvey Fuqua of the Moonglows, with whom her relationship was romantic as well as professional. The material that James recorded for Chess exhibited the full range of her stylistic capabilities, from tender love ballads to heavy blues to easy-on-the-ears pop.
Although the people at Chess kept her career alive, they also exploited her, as they did many artists, finding ways to withhold royalties and grabbing the publishing rights to musicians' original material. During this time, James lived at the historic—and cheap—Sutherland Hotel along with many other musicians destined for stardom, including Fuqua, Marvin Gaye, and Curtis Mayfield.
Unfortunately, the pressures of constant touring wreaked havoc on her personal life. By the time she was 21 years old, James was addicted to heroin. Her problems with drugs made it all the more difficult for James to sustain her career. She also seemed drawn to violent and abusive men.
By the mids, she had disappeared from the scene again. She rebounded in to record a widely-acclaimed blues album, Call My Name. She also recorded a series of duets with singer Sugar Pie DeSanto, a childhood friend, and those sessions produced a big hit in "In the Basement. Although James remained largely unknown outside of the black community despite her hits, white rockers knew who she was. Many rock stars had become Etta James fans early on, and her no-holds-barred singing style influenced several of them.
Janis Joplin and Rolling Stone Keith Richards were among those who were listening to James when she was still toiling on shoestring-budget tours. By the early s, James' life was very much out of control, although she managed to arrive at the recording studio and at live performances when required. In order to support her growing heroin habit, she found it necessary to become a petty criminal, forging prescriptions and writing bad checks.
When things got bad enough, she was not above stealing from friends and acquaintances. In , faced with the prospect of several years in prison, James opted to enter the residential drug rehabilitation program at Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital outside of Los Angeles. Her music may belong to an era alien to my generation, but its spirit and message still remain relevant today. Her achievements will be appreciated as long as music continues to be composed. The Capstone celebrates the Festival of Lights.
House Plant Collective lays down roots in Tuscaloosa. Email Signup. RSS Feed. She formed a street corner group, the Creolettes, whichwas heard by the rhythm and blues bandleader, Johnny Otis obituary, 20 January. He suggested that she reversed her first name, becoming Etta James, and he gave her the sobriquet, "Miss Peaches". It had been retitled"The Wallflower" under the pretence that it promoted a dance rather than sex.
Her only other hit on Modern was "Good Rockin' Daddy", also in , and a song that refers, way before time, to dancing "the crazy twist", although this was really sexual innuendo. James's many singles for Modern demonstrate her versatility and used top New Orleans musicians including Allen Toussaint. Fuqua, also her boyfriend, brokered a contract for her with Leonard Chess of Chess Records in Chicago.
Their relationship ended when Gwen took up with Fuqua, so the song predicted what would happen. It had a theme that was replayed in numerous James' records — her boyfriend with another woman. Leonard Chess indulged James by allowing her to record with an orchestra and her beautiful interpretation of "At Last" with Riley Hampton's orchestra is her crowning moment.
Her income came from live performance and it hardly mattered that she was being cheated as her money went on drugs. In , her manager, John Lewis, was sent to prison for pushing drugs and James was jailed twice for passing bad cheques. She realised that something was sadly wrong with her life when she was asked to give oral sex to an year-old man in exchange for heroin.
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