Etta James
R&B/Soul
History of Etta James
- Etta James was an American artist who ranged from multiple genres including rock and roll, jazz, blues, R&B/Soul and gospel
- She was born on January 25, 1938 and died on January 20, 2012
- She faced many personal problems because of her drug addiction
- James never knew who her dad was and her mother was never around. She spent most of her time with her foster parents, "Sarge" and "Mama" Lu.
- James received vocal training when she was 5 years old from a man named James Earl Hines
- James would sing at her church which resulted in her being a very popular singing attraction
- In 1950, Mama Lu died. After that, her biological mother took her to San Francisco and she joined a girl group called Creolettes.
- After she joined the Creolettes, she met Johnny Otis. He helped the group sign to Modern Records and changed the groups name from Creolettes to the Peaches
- Johnny Otis also changed James' name from Jamesetta (her original name) to Etta James
- Etta James has won six Grammy's and 17 Blues Music Awards
- She was put into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2008
- According to Rolling Stones she was number 22 out of the top 100 Greatest Singers of all time
What propelled Etta James to fame?
- Etta James wrote her first hit single at the age of 15 and worked with B.B King until she turned 16
- Her song "My Dearest Darling" peaked to the top 5 on the R&B chart
- "At Last" peaked to number 2 on the E&B chart and number 47 on the top 100 billboard
Songs by Etta James
- "At Last" 1961
- "I'd Rather Go Blind" 1994
- "I Just Wanna Make Love to You"
- 1961"Sunday Kind of Love" 1961
- "Fool That I Am" 1961
- "My Dearest Darling" 1961
- "Trust In Me" 1961
Albums by Etta James
- At Last, 1961
- Tell Mama, 1968
- Blues to the Bone, 2004
- Queen of Soul, 1965
- The Best of Etta James, 2000
Characteristics of Rhythm and Blues
- The bands usually contain guitar, piano, saxophone, bass drums and sometimes backup vocals
- Lyrics are often based off of African-American experience with freedom, pain, and joy.
- Lyrics are on heavily on the themes of triumphs and failures in economics, relationships and freedom
"At Last"
S- piano, bass, strings, main vocals, drum set
H- strings, piano, bass, drum set
M- main vocals
R-slow, in 4
G- moderate; line
intro, verse 1, verse 2, bridge, verse 3, outro
R&B/Soul
Etta James - At Last - Lyrics
Citations
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.