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Etta James

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Etta James's real name was Jamesetta Hawkins and she was born in Los Angeles in 1938. Her mother was only fourteen, and Etta grew up with foster parents and relatives. At the age of five she received singing lessons from the choirmaster of a Baptist church, and soon she was singing solo in the choir. In San Francisco, as a teenager, she started a girl group, The Creolettes. The musician Johnny Otis took the group under his wing and reversed her first name to make Etta James.

Music and breakthrough

In 1955 her song The Wallflower reached number 1 on the R&B chart. In 1960 she signed with Chess Records, where she became one of the first stars. Leonard Chess saw a ballad singer in her and surrounded her with violins. That is how At Last (1960), her best-known song, came about. Among the songs that followed were Something's Got a Hold on Me (1962), Tell Mama and I'd Rather Go Blind (1967). For a long time she suffered from a heroin addiction and other problems, but made a comeback in the late 1980s with Seven Year Itch (1988). For Mystery Lady, songs by Billie Holiday, she won a Grammy.

Influence

Etta James had a deep, earthy voice that felt at home in gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock 'n' roll and soul. She is seen as a bridge between R&B and rock 'n' roll. In 1993 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her voice also lives on in new music: Avicii used a sample from Something's Got a Hold on Me for his hit Levels. She died in 2012.

Listening

Listening tip. First listen to Something's Got a Hold on Me by Etta James and then to Levels by Avicii. Notice how her powerful soul voice from 1962 turns up in the dance track, as a short fragment among the electronic sounds.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: ArtistsEDM