Posted on 01/20/2012 3:41:43 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Etta James, whose assertive, earthy voice lit up such hits as "The Wallflower," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and the wedding favorite "At Last," has died, according to her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon. She was 73.
She died from complications from leukemia with her husband, Artis Mills, and her sons by her side, De Leon said.
She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, and also suffered from dementia and hepatitis C. James died at a hospital in Riverside, California. She would have turned 74 Wednesday.
" This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world," De Leon said. "She was a true original who could sing it all -- her music defied category.
"I worked with Etta for over 30 years. She was my friend and I will miss her always."
Was "At Last" your song for your wedding's first dance?
The powerhouse singer, known as "Miss Peaches," lived an eventful life. She first hit the charts as a teenager, taking "The Wallflower (Roll With Me, Henry)" -- an "answer record" to Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie" -- to No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1955. She joined Chess Records in 1960 and had a string of R&B and pop hits, many with lush string arrangements. After a mid-decade fade, she re-emerged in 1967 with a more hard-edged, soulful sound.
Throughout her career, James overcame a heroin addiction, opened for the Rolling Stones, won six Grammys and was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Despite her ups and downs -- including a number of health problems -- she maintained an optimistic attitude.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
John King of CNN fame just stepped in it again. He said he remembered listening to Etta on his fathers windup phonograph. That would be a Victrola. I don’t think Etta was that old to be of the windup record player! I guess lying is getting hard to stop once you start.
Rest in peace Miss James. Thank you for a beautiful song.
At Last is just awesome. Rest in peace, Ms. James.
He’s probably remembering the old Whitburn 78rpm Billie Holiday records.
Her place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was very well deserved, in her memory take a listen to one of the greatest R&B tunes of all time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRB9pJUXaYU&feature=fvst
Rest in Peace, Etta James.
You all may be interested in:
http://www.venerableradio.com/samPHPweb/playing.php?buster=20071131762
I saw her open for the Rolling Stones back in the day.
May she Rest In Peace.
Etta James:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604348/beyonce-slammed-by-etta-james-at-last.jhtml
“You guys know your president, right? You know the one with the big ears?” began her rant, a recording of which was obtained by TMZ. “Wait a minute, he ain’t my president. He might be yours; he ain’t my president. But I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song she’s going to get her a— whipped.
“The great Beyoncé,” James went on. “Like I said, she ain’t mine. ... I can’t stand Beyoncé. She has no business up there, singing up there on a big ol’ president day, gonna be singing my song that I’ve been singing forever.”
My favorite...”There’s Something on Your Mind”...Etta and B.B. King.
I wept when I heard this. I loved that lady.
I hardly ever go to concerts, but I saw Etta James at the Hollywood Bowl in the 1990s. Good times.
May God welcome her home.
Amen. I shed a tear when I heard my home girl, Miss Etta James, had passed on. God bless her.
The weird thing is that just last week, I was approached to do a tribute cd to Etta.
Then this happened.
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