ETTA JAMES
Few female R&B stars enjoyed the kind of consistent acclaim Etta James received throughout a career that spanned six decades; the celebrated producer Jerry Wexler once called her 'the greatest of all modern blues singers,' and she recorded several enduring hits, including At Last, Tell Mama, I'd Rather Go Blind, and All I Could Do Was Cry.
Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 1938. With a pair of friends, she formed a singing group called the Creolettes. The girls attracted the attention of famed bandleader Johnny Otis, and when he heard their song Roll with Me Henry, a racy answer song to Hank Ballard's infamous Work with Me Annie he arranged for them to sign with Modern Records, and the Creolettes cut the tune under the name the Peaches (the new handle coming from Etta's long-time nickname). Roll with Me Henry, renamed The Wallflower became a hit in 1955. After charting with a second R&B hit, Good Rockin' Daddy, the Peaches broke up and James stepped out on her own.
Her first hit singles with Fuqua were If I Can't Have You and Spoonful. Her first solo hit was the doo-wop-styled rhythm-and-blues song All I Could Do Was Cry, which was a number two R&B hit. Her debut album, At Last! was released in late 1960 and was noted for its varied selection of music, from jazz standards to blues to doo-wop and rhythm and blues. The album included the future classic I Just Want to Make Love to You and A Sunday Kind of Love. In early 1961, James released what was to become her signature song, At Last, which reached number two on the R&B chart and number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100.
James ventured into rock and funk with the release of her self-titled album in 1973, with production from the famed rock producer Gabriel Mekler, who had worked with Steppenwolf and Janis Joplin, who had admired James and had covered Tell Mama in concert. The album, known for its mixture of musical styles, was nominated for a Grammy Award.
In 1988 James signed with Island Records and cut a powerful comeback album, Seven Year Itch, produced by Barry Beckett of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. The album sold well and James was determined to keep her career on track, playing frequent live shows and recording regularly, issuing Stickin' to My Guns in 1990 and The Right Time in 1992. James performed at the top jazz festivals in the world.
In 1993, Etta James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A year later 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 Grammy Award. The relationship with Private Music proved simpatico, and between 1995 and 2003 James cut eight albums for the label, while also maintaining a busy touring schedule.
In 2003, James published an autobiography, Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked her number 62 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and she was also awarded the lifetime achievement Grammy Award. In 2008 she was played onscreen by modern R&B diva Beyoncé Knowles in Cadillac Records, a film loosely based on the history of Chess Records. Knowles recorded a faithful cover of At Last for the film's soundtrack, and later performed the song at Barack Obama's 2009 inaugural ball. Her continuing relevance was affirmed in 2011 when the late Swedish DJ Avicii achieved substantial chart success with the song Levels, which samples her 1962 song Something's Got a Hold on Me. The same sample was used by the east coast rapper Flo Rida in his 2011 hit single Good Feeling. From 1989, James received over 30 awards from eight different organizations, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences which organizes the Grammys.
Perryscope is honored to continue Etta’s Legacy with a worldwide e-commerce and licensing program featuring wearables and collectibles for core and emerging fans, and an official webstore that will offer exclusive products and the music that made her a household name. For her complete bio and more information go to the Etta James official website ettajamesofficial.com or her official Instagram @ettajamesoffical.