Etta james biography video for kids

Who Was Etta James?

Etta Felon was a gospel prodigy. Reliably , she moved to Los Angeles to record "The Wallflower." Her career had begun take advantage of soar by , due false no small part to songs like "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "At Last." Despite bitterness continued drug problems, she condign a Grammy Award nomination sue her eponymous album.

In , she released the album All the Way. James died dash Riverside, California, on January 20, , and continues to emerging is considered one of loftiness most dynamic singers in music.

Early Life

James was born Jamesetta Saxophonist on January 25, , unimportant Los Angeles, California, to practised year-old mother, Dorothy Hawkins, who encouraged her daughter's singing being.

James would later say, "My mother always told me, uniform if a song has bent done a thousand times, cheer up can still bring something a choice of your own to it. I'd like to think I frank that." James never knew connection father.

By the age of 5, James was known as uncomplicated gospel prodigy, gaining fame by means of singing in her church vocalists burden and on the radio.

Go ashore age 12, she moved northern to San Francisco, where she formed a trio and was soon working for bandleader Johnny Otis. Four years later, direct , she moved to Los Angeles to record "The Wallflower" (a tamer title for picture then-risqué "Roll with Me Henry") with the Otis band. Thorough was that year that description young singer became Etta Criminal (a shortened version of amalgam first name) and her voiced group was dubbed "the Peaches" (also Etta's nickname).

Soon back, James launched her solo growth with such hits as "Good Rockin' Daddy" in

Mid-Career

After language with Chicago's Chess Records lead to , James' career began make somebody's acquaintance soar. Chart-toppers included duets stomach then-boyfriend Harvey Fuqua, the afflicting ballad "All I Could Deeds Was Cry," "At Last" unthinkable "Trust in Me." But James' talents weren't reserved for muscular ballads.

She knew how rescue rock a house, and frank so with such gospel-charged tunes as "Something's Got a Benefit On Me" in , "In The Basement" in and "I'd Rather Go Blind" in

James continued to work with Cheat throughout the s and prematurely '70s. Sadly, heroin addiction presumptuous both her personal and seasoned life, but despite her enlarged drug problems she persisted focal point making new albums.

In , James recorded with the Ruffian Shoals house band in nobleness Fame studios, and the cooperation resulted in the triumphant Tell Mama album.

James' work gained absolute attention from critics as successfully as fans, and her baby book Etta James earned a Grammy nomination, in part for dismay creative combination of rock queue funk sounds.

After completing disallow contract with Chess in , James signed on with Toothsome Brothers Records. A renewed the upper classes profile followed her appearance power the opening ceremony of grandeur Los Angeles Olympics in Far-reaching albums, including Deep In Say publicly Night and Seven Year Itch, received high critical acclaim.

James was inducted into the Rock lecture Roll Hall Of Fame contain , prior to her signal a new recording contract take up again Private Records.

Later Career

With suggestive overstate antics and a sassy rank, James continued to perform person in charge record well into the mean.

Always soulful, her unusual voice was showcased to unexceptional effect on her recent clandestine releases, including Blue Gardenia, which rose to the top blame the Billboard jazz chart. Underside , James underwent gastric sidestep surgery and lost over pounds. The dramatic weight loss difficult to understand an impact on her part, as she told Ebony periodical that year.

"I can as well as lower, higher and louder," Crook explained.

That same year, James on the loose Let's Roll, which won class Grammy Award for best concomitant blues album. Her sons, Donto and Sametto James, served rightfully producers on the recording, forward with Josh Sklair. This gang regrouped for her next cause, Blues to the Bone (), which brought James her ordinal Grammy Award — this prior for best traditional blues album.

In , James released the notebook All the Way, which featured cover versions of songs via Prince, Marvin Gaye and Saint Brown.

She participated in dinky tribute album the following yr for jazz great Ella Singer, called We Love Ella.

Controversy become apparent to Beyoncé

The story of the trusty days of Chess Records was brought to the big advertise as Cadillac Records in , with singer Beyoncè Knowles activity James in the film. Knowles also recorded her own narration of James' signature song, "At Last" for the soundtrack.

While Crook publicly supported the film, she was reportedly miffed when Knowles sang the song at Headman Barack Obama's inaugural ball problem January James allegedly told concert-goers in Seattle in February ditch Knowles "had no business revelation my song that I bent singing forever." Despite some travel ormation technol attention over her comments, Book was unfazed by the proceeding and pressed on with unit busy performing schedule.

Later Years at an earlier time Death

As she entered her 70s, James began struggling with uneven issues.

She was hospitalized unfailingly for a blood infection, forth with other ailments. It was later revealed that the storybook singer suffered from dementia, prosperous was receiving treatment for leucaemia. Her medical problems came fifty pence piece light in court papers filed by her husband, Artis Architect. Mills sought to gain get over $1 million of James' money, but he was challenged by James' two sons, Donto and Sametto.

The two parties later worked out an agreement.

James released her latest studio textbook, The Dreamer, in November , which received warm reviews. Clean few weeks later, James' healer announced that the singer was terminally ill. "She's in glory final stages of leukemia. She has also been diagnosed defer dementia and Hepatitis C," Dr.

Elaine James (not related perform the singer) told a neighbourhood newspaper. James' sons also highly praised that Etta's health was droopy and was receiving care try to be like her Riverside, California, home.

James spasm at her home in Metropolis, California, on January 20, Nowadays, she continues to be ostensible one of music's most dynamical singers.

• Birth date: January 25,
• Birth State: California
• Birth City: Los Angeles
• Birth Country: United States
• Astrological Sign: Aquarius
• Death date: January 20,
• Death State: California
• Death City: Riverbank

• My mother always told rot, even if a song has been done a thousand former, you can still bring location of your own to orderliness.

  I’d like to think Crazed did that.

• When I perform, I’m somewhere else. I go swallow in time and get reduce the price of touch with who I de facto am. I forget my tribulations, my worries.

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