Highlights
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Etta James Dead at 73
![Etta James, one of the great voices of the 20th century who fused R&B with gospel and blues, and scored landmark hits with "At Last," "Tell Mama" and "All I Could Do Was Cry," died today from complications related to leukemia. She was 73. James had been battling health problems for many years. James had an enormously turbulent personal life with numerous periods of drug addiction and poverty, but she channeled all of that heartache into her music. "There's a lot going on Etta James' voice," Bonnie Raitt told Rolling Stone in 2008. "A lot of pain, a lot of life, most of all, a lot of strength. She can be so raucous and down one song, and then break your heart with her subtlety and finesse the next. As raw as Etta is, there's a great intelligence and wisdom in her singing." Born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles in 1938, James was largely abandoned by her teenage mother at a young age, and was raised by her grandparents and foster families. She formed the the doo-wop singing group Creolettes with her friends in the early 1950s, and they even scored a minor hit with "Roll Me Henry" in 1955. James signed as a solo act to Chess Records in 1960, kicking off the first great period of her long career. Working with producers Harvey Fuqua and Ralph Bass, she landed on the charts with "My Dearest Darling" and "All I Could Do Is Cry." Leonard Chess heard tremendous potential in her voice, and in 1961 had her record the ballad "At Last" with a string section. The song became a massive hit, and remained her signature song for the rest of her career. Despite her incredible success, James started to use heroin in the mid-1960s and it began to have serious effects on her career. At various points she was committed to a Los Angeles psychiatric hospital, though she still occasionally scored hits – most notable the R&B classic "Tell Mama" in 1967. In the 1970s, James hit the club circuit to support herself. The Rolling Stones took her on tour in 1978, which exposed her music to a whole new generation of rock fans. That same year she signed to Warner Brothers and cut the classic LP Deep in the Night with Jerry Wexler. Her drug habit resumed in the 1980s, but a 1988 stay at the Betty Ford Clinic set her on a much better course. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. James continued to tour until illness sidelined her a couple of years ago. She made headlines in 2009 when she criticized Beyoncé's performance of "At Last" at President Obama's inauguration, but the public didn't realize that she was suffering from dementia at that point. In 1997, James spoke with Rolling Stone about her life. "Life's been rough," she said. "But life's been good. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would live it the exact same way."](http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-01/67521594-20153236.jpg "Etta James, one of the great voices of the 20th century who fused R&B with gospel and blues, and scored landmark hits with "At Last,\" \"Tell Mama\" and \"All I Could Do Was Cry,\" died today from complications related to leukemia. She was 73. James had been battling health problems for many years. James had an enormously turbulent personal life with numerous periods of drug addiction and poverty, but she channeled all of that heartache into her music. \"There's a lot going on Etta James' voice,\" Bonnie Raitt told Rolling Stone in 2008. \"A lot of pain, a lot of life, most of all, a lot of strength. She can be so raucous and down one song, and then break your heart with her subtlety and finesse the next. As raw as Etta is, there's a great intelligence and wisdom in her singing.\" Born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles in 1938, James was largely abandoned by her teenage mother at a young age, and was raised by her grandparents and foster families. She formed the the doo-wop singing group Creolettes with her friends in the early 1950s, and they even scored a minor hit with \"Roll Me Henry\" in 1955. James signed as a solo act to Chess Records in 1960, kicking off the first great period of her long career. Working with producers Harvey Fuqua and Ralph Bass, she landed on the charts with \"My Dearest Darling\" and \"All I Could Do Is Cry.\" Leonard Chess heard tremendous potential in her voice, and in 1961 had her record the ballad \"At Last\" with a string section. The song became a massive hit, and remained her signature song for the rest of her career. Despite her incredible success, James started to use heroin in the mid-1960s and it began to have serious effects on her career. At various points she was committed to a Los Angeles psychiatric hospital, though she still occasionally scored hits – most notable the R&B classic \"Tell Mama\" in 1967. In the 1970s, James hit the club circuit to support herself. The Rolling Stones took her on tour in 1978, which exposed her music to a whole new generation of rock fans. That same year she signed to Warner Brothers and cut the classic LP Deep in the Night with Jerry Wexler. Her drug habit resumed in the 1980s, but a 1988 stay at the Betty Ford Clinic set her on a much better course. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. James continued to tour until illness sidelined her a couple of years ago. She made headlines in 2009 when she criticized Beyoncé's performance of \"At Last\" at President Obama's inauguration, but the public didn't realize that she was suffering from dementia at that point. In 1997, James spoke with Rolling Stone about her life. \"Life's been rough,\" she said. \"But life's been good. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would live it the exact same way.\"")
Etta James, one of the great voices of the 20th century who fused R&B with gospel and blues, and scored landmark hits with "At Last," "Tell Mama" and "All I Could Do Was Cry," died today from complications related to leukemia. She was 73. James had been...Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Bonnie Raitt, Chess Playing, Hospitals and Clinics, The Rolling Stones (music group)
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Aretha Franklin, America and the origin of the 'spirit feel'
The gospel-truth, if you believe most of the history books: Aretha Franklin didn’t really find her true voice until she began working with producer Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records in 1967. "My idea was to make good tracks, use the best players,...
Tags: Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Gospel (genre), Christianity, The Staple Singers (music group)
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Lionel
Let’s get to the first oft-asked question: What’s with the name “Lionel”? No last name? Nope. Mononymous, like God. Get over it. The nom de radio actually comes from Al Pacino’s character in the 1973 film classic “...
Tags: Radio, QVC (tv network), Tampa, Television, Crime, Law and Justice
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2012: The Year the Music Died (So Far)
It’s not even June. But already this calendar year we’ve lost a gut-wrenching list of people who’ve impacted the music world: impresarios Don Cornelius and Dick Clark, R&B legends Johnny Otis and Etta James, the incomparable Band...
Tags: Robin Gibb, Luciano Pavarotti, Justin Bieber, Celebrities, Rashied Ali
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Etta James dies at 73; acclaimed blues and R&B singer
Etta James, the earthy blues and R&B singer whose anguished vocals convinced generations of listeners that she would rather go blind than see her love leave, then communicated her joy upon finding that love at last, died Friday. She was 73.
She died at...Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Bonnie Raitt, Prostitution, The Rolling Stones (music group), Roseanne Barr
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Legendary Singer Etta James Remembered at Funeral
CNN/KTLA NewsLOS ANGELES, Calif. (CNN) -- Mourners remembered legendary singer Etta James on Saturday as an authentic voice whose velvety vocals bridged genres from blues to rock. The Rev. Al Sharpton presided over her funeral in southern California where she was...Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Adele (music artist), Hospitals and Clinics, The Rolling Stones (music group), Genres
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Jerry Leiber dies at 78; lyricist in songwriting duo Leiber and Stoller
Jerry Leiber, who with his songwriting partner, Mike Stoller, created a songbook that infused the rock 'n' roll scene of the 1950s and early '60s with energy and mischievous humor, has died. He was 78.
Leiber, the words half of the duo, died Monday at...Tags: Jerry Lee Lewis, Radio, Chicago Tribune, Peggy Lee, Phil Spector
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Pop music and jazz figures
Pop music and jazz figures Bob Popescu, 77; co-owner of Catalina Bar & Grill, turned the Los Angeles club into one of the top jazz venues in the country (Jan. 5) Ken Nelson, 84; longtime Capitol Records talent scout had an ear for country music (Jan. 6)...Tags: Big Band (genre), Phil Spector, Eric Clapton, Frank Zappa, Batman (fictional character)
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Solomon Burke dies; singer's voice was as big as his soul
Solomon Burke, a pioneering singer-songwriter of so-called sweet soul music whose powerful ballads in the 1960s were a major influence on a generation of rock, R&B and pop vocalists, has died. He was in his early 70s.
Burke died early Sunday morning of...Tags: Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones (music group), Aerosmith (music group), Human Interest
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RIP Jerry Leiber: half of one of rock's great songwriting teams
Pop & HissJerry Leiber, with partner Mike Stoller, wrote many of the hits that helped define rock music.... -
Jerry Leiber appreciation: A songwriter who helped change pop music
Pop & HissAn appreciation of Jerry Leiber who, writing for Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee, The Coasters and more as the lyricist half of the Leiber and Stoller songwriting team, helped change pop music and set the template for future artists.... -
Cornell Dupree dies at 68; versatile guitarist
Cornell Dupree, a versatile guitarist whose long, productive career included performances and recordings with such artists as Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Miles Davis and Lena Horne, died Sunday at his home in Fort Worth. Dupree, who had emphysema, was...Tags: Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker, Georgia, Blues (genre), Lena Horne
Jan 20, 2012
|Story| WSBT Radio
Oct 29, 2012
|Column| Chicago Tribune
Oct 4, 2012
|Story| WPIX-LTV
May 21, 2012
|Story| WTXX-LTV
Jan 20, 2012
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Jan 28, 2012
|Story| KTLA-LTV
Aug 23, 2011
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Dec 28, 2008
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Oct 11, 2010
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Aug 22, 2011
| Los Angeles Times
Aug 23, 2011
| Los Angeles Times
May 13, 2011
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Original site for Jerry Wexler topic gallery.
