Etta James
Etta James, born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938 in South Central Los Angeles, was a renowned American blues singer whose career spanned several decades. Raised by her aunt and uncle after her mother was sent to reform school, James discovered her musical talent at a young age while singing in church. In her teenage years, she formed a girl group and eventually gained recognition as a solo artist with hits like "Roll with Me, Henry" and the timeless classic "At Last." Despite her musical success, James faced significant challenges, including financial struggles, drug addiction, and tumultuous relationships, which impacted her career trajectory and personal life.
Throughout her life, she collaborated with prominent artists and garnered numerous accolades, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. Her work reflects a rich blend of soul, jazz, blues, and rock and roll, influencing countless musicians and earning her a lasting legacy in the music world. James's resilience in overcoming personal adversities to achieve artistic success serves as an inspiring testament to her talent and determination.
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Subject Terms
Etta James
Singer
- Born: January 25, 1938
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
- Died: January 20, 2012
James is known primarily as a singer of rhythm and blues, although she also is a jazz and rock musician. She has written and spoken publicly about her long battle with drug and alcohol addictions, weight issues, and emotional struggles related to a troubled childhood and her lifelong search to learn the identity of her biological father.
Early Life
Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in South Central Los Angeles, California, to unwed teenager Dorothy Hawkins. Dorothy identified James’s father, although it was later established in court that she had lied. Dorothy was sentenced to reform school and her sister, Cozetta, and Cozetta’s husband James became the baby’s legal guardians. Dorothy combined the couple’s names when naming her child “Jamesetta.”
Upon Dorothy’s release, she gave her daughter over to a black couple named Lula and Jesse Rogers. Lula Rogers was a nurturing woman whom James regarded as her true mother. James considered her biological mother, Dorothy, a disturbing enigma, and spent much time pondering the identity of her biological father. Reports from Dorothy’s oldest friends, along with James’s light hair and complexion, led her to believe that her real father was the famous white pool player Minnesota Fats (Rudolf Walter Wanderone), with whom Dorothy had evidently had an affair.
When James was five, Lula took her to a Baptist church, where her singing talent was discovered. By adolescence, James was aware of her talent, but after Lula’s 1950 death, James was deprived of the support necessary to exploit her talent in a healthy way.
Life’s Work
As a young teenager, James was moved by her mother, Dorothy, to live with relatives in San Francisco. There, James formed a black girl group called the Creolettes, singing rhythm and blues and jazz. Shortly thereafter, noted black bandleader Johnny Otis asked the girls to travel and sing with his band, renaming the girls the Peaches.
Otis had a radio show and recorded the young James, rechristening her Etta James by simply reversing her birth name. Her first successful recording was 1953’s “Roll with Me, Henry.” Modern Records picked it up, and soon James was recording with prominent artists such as guitarist and singer B. B. King. She subsequently toured with flamboyant and hugely popular Little Richard and sang backup for both rock and soul singers such as Marvin Gaye and Chuck Berry.
From 1960 through 1963, James had ten hit records. Her recording of “At Last” was a big seller and became a classic. Also in the 1960’s, she recorded the jaunty, jazzy, yet nearly gospel-sounding tune “Something’s Got a Hold on Me.”
Despite these successes, James struggled financially and professionally. Her drug addictions and relationships combined to create problems that prevented her from attaining the status and lifestyle enjoyed by many other artists. She served prison time for drug-related crimes and continued to fight addictions throughout her life. She gave birth to two sons by two men, one of whom was physically and verbally abusive. She married Artis Mills, the father of one of her sons, in the 1970’s.
James’s drug abuse continued into her fifties, which limited her professional and financial opportunities. Nonetheless, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. In 2003, James received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She subsequently won Grammy Awards in 2004 for her blues album Let’s Roll and in 2005 for Blues to the Bone. In her seventies, after significant weight loss, James continued to record and to perform.
Significance
Over a career spanning several decades, James overcame personal struggles to record iconic songs that inspired generations of musicians. Her work spans soul, jazz, blues, and rock and roll, and she has been honored frequently for her music.
Bibliography
Jackson, Buzzy. “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Etta James and Aretha Franklin.” In A Bad Woman Feeling Good: Blues and the Women Who Sing Them. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005. Entertaining and informative book that traces the artistry and lives of female blues singers, including James, focusing on a musical culture that allows women to express themselves in ways that are often denied in other venues.
James, Etta, and David Ritz. Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story. New York: Da Capo Press, 2003. Readable and informative autobiography that often employs street and black dialect.
O’Dair, Barbara. The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock: Trouble Girls. New York: Random House, 1997. Essays by female writers outlining and celebrating the careers of female singers of several genres. Discographies are included.