About Me
For more than 40 years, Etta James has been singing from her soul.
"I started out when I was 5 years old," James said by phone from her home in Riverside, Calif. "I sang in church. And my grandma made me.
Throughout her life, James has been revered as one of the queens of soul, and rhythm & blues. She's earned two Grammys, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy Recording Arts and Sciences, a load of W.C. Handy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
James has inspired singers ranging from Janis Joplin to Melissa Etheridge, ever since her first Top 40 hit, "All I Could Do Was Cry," back in 1960. Many more hits followed over the next decade — "If I Can't Have You," "Something's Got a Hold On Me," "Pushover," "Tell Mama" . . . and, of course, "At Last."
While James appreciates the recognition, she doesn't brag about it. "I forget what awards I have," she said with a laugh. And then, speaking with an exaggerated uppity accent for comic effect, she added, "I'm not the type who points out and says, 'That's my award and there's my other award and here's my other award.' I just don't do that."
Still, James knows the importance of music. "As a grandmother, I am making sure I get all my grandchildren's butts in music. It will do them some good."
Lately, James has seen a resurgence in her career. "It's like people are shooting things at me from all over the place," she said, laughing again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Steve Winwood and Etta James
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~“Etta James is simply one of the best singers I've ever heard. She's ferocious -- sassy and incredibly sexy. Not sexy in a conventional, dolled- up way like, say, the Supremes. Etta is earthy and gritty, ribald and out-there in a way that few performers have the guts to be. From the first time I heard her as a teenager, with songs like "Tell Mama," "At Last," "I'd Rather Go Blind" -- there was just something about that ache I heard that got me bad. Still does.†Bonnie Raitt ~ Rolling Stone Magazine
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