Etta James was somewhere between the femme fatale and grand dame of the Rhythm and Blues movement. Her lyrics were sulky and yearning, occasionally content. Though few of her songs were self-written, the verses were custom-made.
Etta crossed-over last Friday on January 20th, a few days after Johnny Otis—the man credited for discovering her fierce talent. Otis, the multi-hyphenate singer, songwriter, producer, and et cetera, died on January 17th.
With good reason Otis singled out the teenage James (at the time, part of a doo-wop group called the Creolettes) to groom for stardom. He changed the group’s name to the Peaches, and produced the song “Roll With Me Henry.” (It was later changed to “Wallflower” due to the “sexually suggestive” original title.) Nevertheless, it became a hit, and Ms. James took a solo turn after the record contract expired. She found a new home at Chess Records, already a breeding ground for great blues-rock crossover music. It was 1960.
James’ work at Chess was the most important of her career. She made headway with her first release At Last! With such sugary ballads as “A Sunday Kind of Love” and “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” R&B fans fell in love with her. But she, herself, fell victim to a by-product of commercialized success: drug addiction.
James was powerhouse of a woman, despite her small physical stature. She had round, full cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes that would suggest she had bloodlines to Asia. Not unlike her predecessor, Billie Holiday, James’ vices were onset by stormy relationships and the social climate. James, however, survived and had a rebirth in the past decade. Beyonce Knowles introduced her to a new generation in 2008 when the pop star played a saccharine version of Ms. James in Cadillac Records, a film about the Chess Records saga.
In 2001, very much like her At Last! debut, Ms. James returned with Blue Gardenia. The album was collection of standards that, allegorically, told the story of her life; although the songs were previously covered by other artists, each song provides a chapter in her life. The lyrics tell you all that glitters isn’t gold, but everyone has a chance to have harmony. The earth isn’t so bitter if come the rain and sunshine.
Etta James was 73 years old.
