Blues To Do's-Achived Feature Stories

Feature Story September 2002

Etta James

appearing 9/26 @ the Paramont Theater, Seattle, 7pm; 9/28 Oregon GI Blues Music Festival, Hillsboro Stadium, Hillsboro, Or

by Tony Engelhart

Jamesetta Hawkins, a.k.a. Etta James, is perhaps one of the most influential and enduring female singers ever. Etta has had a profound effect on everyone from Katie Webster and Janis Joplin to contemporary artists such as Norah Jones and Diana Krall. Despite personal difficulties-including drug addiction, heartbreak, and weight battles (as mentioned in her autobiography, Rage to Survive)-the performer has remained a major force in the music industry. While the legendary singer's voice has deepened and coarsened over the years, James can still send a chill up your spine with a single note.

To label Etta James simply a Blues singer would be unjust. From R&B and doo-wop in the mid '50s to the Soul explosion of the mid '60s, Etta has refused to be pigeonholed into one genre and continues to develop after 4 decades.

The Etta James story began in a Baptist church in Los Angeles, California where she outshone the rest in the church choir. At the age of 5, the child prodigy was under the guidance of Professor James Earle Hines. After moving to San Francisco in 1950, she teamed up with two other girls and formed a group. The trio, including a 14-year-old Etta James, auditioned for bandleader Johnny Otis. So impressed was he with their rendition of "Work With Me Annie", Johnny invited the trio to follow him to L.A. to record "Roll With Me Henry" with vocalist Richard Berry (of Louie Louie fame) in 1954. Otis inverted her first name and christened the group The Peaches (which is also Etta's nickname). "Roll With Me Henry" was too risqué for some radio programmers and the title was changed to "The Wallflower". Not surprisingly, the song topped the R&B charts in 1955; but soon afterward The Peaches split up, and Etta James embarked on a solo career.

Now with a couple of hits under her belt, James landed a recording contract with Chess Records. Success for Etta came quickly, not only on duets with her then boyfriend (Moonglow's lead singer Harvey Fuqua), but also on her own, beginning with the ballad "All I Could Do Was Cry". Leonard Chess saw his latest find as a classy ballad singer with crossover potential, often backing her with a violin orchestra. Even though this formula worked and spawned such classics as "At Last" and "Trust In Me", Etta's tougher side would not go unnoticed as she tore it up on the gospel-inspired "Something's Got A Hold on Me". Later she would record "Tell Mama" (which immediately became a Janis Joplin live standard) and the very heartfelt "I'd Rather Go Blind".

Although Etta James is great in the studio, the stage is where the singer really shines, and her latest release, Burning Down The House, is a testament to that. Recorded live at the House of Blues in Hollywood, CA in 2001, the impeccable performer proves once more why she has endured for nearly 50 years. Though the disc includes the expected hits and standard blues, the veteran startles the listener with some unlikely numbers such as "I Just Want To Make Love To You" along with Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" and Randy Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On". The accompanying DVD will be available on September 3rd.

At 64 years old, Ms. Peaches has seen her share of professional disappointment and has battled back each time. In 2001, she was inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame and released the critically-acclaimed Blue Gardenia. Etta James is not only a gifted singer and performer who has the ability to modify her style as musical trends change, but also a National treasure who has given her life to entertain and inspire.

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