In a career that spanned six decades, Etta James (1938 – 2012) sang in a variety of genres, notching over 30 R&B hits, thrilling audiences with her energetic live shows, and earning a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, despite possessing one of the most powerful voices in music, she only belatedly gained the attention of mainstream audiences and appeared rarely on the pop charts.
Born Jamesetta Hawkins to a mother who was just 14 years old, James never knew her father and was raised by foster parents. She began singing with St. Paul Baptist Church’s gospel choir at age five, becoming a soloist and frequently appearing with them on local radio broadcasts.
At age 12, James moved to San Francisco, where she formed a singing group with two friends, initially calling themselves the Creolettes. The girls soon attracted the attention of bandleader and talent scout Johnny Otis.
When Otis heard their song “Roll with Me Henry,” he got them signed to a record contract. He also suggested Jamesetta change her name to Etta James, the band become the Peaches, and the song be retitled “The Wallflower.” Their song made it to No. 2 on the R&B charts in 1954. After charting with a second R&B hit, James left the group and went out on her own.
James’ solo career took off in 1960 when she signed with Chess Records. Singing in a style that fused the passion of R&B with the polish of jazz, she became the label’s first major female star, scoring a string of hits including “All I Could Do Was Cry,” “Trust in Me,” and “At Last.”
Her career faltered in the mid-1960s due to struggles with drug addiction, but she bounced back onto the R&B charts in 1967 with “Tell Mama” and “I’d Rather Go Blind.” She continued to record with Chess into the 1970s.
After a relapse into addiction in the early 1970s, later that decade she turned things around. She opened for the Rolling Stones on tour and signed with Warner Bros., cutting the album Deep in the Night. While the album didn’t sell well, it received enthusiastic reviews and reminded serious blues and R&B fans that James was still a force to be reckoned with.
In 1984 the world was her stage as she sang at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
In 1994, a year after she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, James signed to the Private Music label and recorded Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday, a tribute to the great vocalist she had long cited as a key influence. The album earned James her first of four Grammy Awards.
Over the years, as James’ voice grew rougher and deeper, she became one of the first women to sing in the style that became known as soul. She continued playing live shows into the 2000s and released her final album just a year before her death.
James’ recognition included a Grammy for lifetime achievement, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, and the Grammy Hall of Fame. Her iconic 1961 recording “At Last” is included in the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.