Etta James
 LA-native
Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins) got her first break from
the West coast R&B band-leader and talent scout, Johnny Otis
in 1955.
Under his auspices, the 17-year old singer had a major R&B
hit with her song The Wallflower (also called Dance
With Me Henry).
Her hits (including Good Rockin' Daddy) continued
through the 50s, and by the time she left the Kent Modern stable
in 1957, Etta was still months away from her 20th birthday.
In 1959 she was signed to Chess Records where she gradually
evolved from an R&B shouter to a sophisticated soul singer.
All I Could Do Was Cry, My Dearest Darling and
her duet with Harvey Fuqua, If I Can't Have You, placed
James at the pinnacle of the R&B charts.
Her extraordinary balance of emotional abandon tempered by
technical control shone through on 1960s classics such as At
Last, Stop The Wedding, Pushover, I'd
Rather Go Blind and Tell Mama.
Like pre-Atlantic Aretha Franklin, Etta's mighty talent lacked
the direction it deserved, but her greatness always shone. But
just when she should have been standing tall alongside Aretha,
Etta's career was sidetracked by heroin addiction, and she spent
many years in and out of the Tarzana Psychiatric
Hospital in Los Angeles.
An early-1970s comeback was marked by an expansion of artistic
range as James began working with rock producers and handling
contemporary material. Through steady touring (she opened for The
Rolling Stones in 1978) and recording, Etta James taught a new
generation to appreciate both the beauty and the raunch of the
great black vocal-music tradition.
She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Etta James passed away in January 2012.
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