June Carter Cash
Musical Monikers
Madonna
Justin Bieber
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
Quick Facts
- NAME: Etta James
- OCCUPATION: Singer
- BIRTH DATE: January 25, 1938
- DEATH DATE: January 20, 2012
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Los Angeles, California
- PLACE OF DEATH: Riverside, California
- Originally: Jamesetta Hawkins
- AKA: Etta James
- Nickname: "Miss Peaches"
- Nickname: "Peaches"
Best Known For
Etta James is a Grammy Award-winning singer known for hit songs like "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "At Last."
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowEtta James. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 11:03, May 23, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/etta-james-9542558.
Etta James. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/etta-james-9542558 [Accessed 23 May 2013].
"Etta James." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 23 2013, 11:03 http://www.biography.com/people/etta-james-9542558.
"Etta James," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/etta-james-9542558 [accessed May 23, 2013].
"Etta James," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/etta-james-9542558 (accessed May 23, 2013).
Etta James [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 23] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/etta-james-9542558.
Etta James, http://www.biography.com/people/etta-james-9542558 (last visited May 23, 2013).
Etta James. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/etta-james-9542558. Accessed May 23, 2013.
Synopsis
Born in Los Angeles, California, on January 25, 1938, Etta James was a gospel prodigy. In 1954, she moved to Los Angeles to record "The Wallflower." Her career had begun to soar by 1960, due in no small part to songs like "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "At Last." Despite her continued drug problems, she earned a Grammy Award nomination for her 1973 eponymous album. In 2006, she released the album All the Way. James died in Riverside, California, on January 20, 2012,
Quotes
"My mother always told me, even if a song has been done a thousand times, you can still bring something of your own to it. I'd like to think I did that."
"When I perform, I'm somewhere else. I go back in time and get in touch with who I really am. I forget my troubles, my worries."
and continues to be is considered one of the most dynamic singers in music.
Early Life
Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938, in Los Angeles, California, to a 14-year-old mother, Dorothy Hawkins, who encouraged her daughter's singing career. James would later say, "My mother always told me, even if a song has been done a thousand times, you can still bring something of your own to it. I'd like to think I did that." James never knew her father.
By the age of 5, James was known as a gospel prodigy, gaining fame by singing in her church choir and on the radio. At age 12, she moved north to San Francisco, where she formed a trio and was soon working for bandleader Johnny Otis. Four years later, in 1954, she moved to Los Angeles to record "The Wallflower" (a tamer title for the then-risqué "Roll with Me Henry") with the Otis band. It was that year that the young singer became Etta James (an shortened version of her first name) and her vocal group was dubbed "the Peaches" (also Etta's nickname). Soon after, James launched her solo career with such hits as "Good Rockin' Daddy" in 1955.
Mid-career
After signing with Chicago's Chess Records in 1960, James's career began to soar. Chart toppers included duets with then-boyfriend Harvey Fuqua, the heart-breaking ballad "All I Could Do Was Cry," "At Last" and "Trust in Me." But James's talents weren't reserved for powerful ballads. She knew how to rock a house, and did so with such gospel-charged tunes as "Something's Got a Hold On Me" in 1962, "In The Basement" in 1966 and "I'd Rather Go Blind" in 1968.
James continued to work with Chess throughout the 1960s and early '70s. Sadly, heroin addiction affected both her personal and professional life, but despite her continued drug problems she persisted in making new albums. In 1967, James recorded with the Muscle Shoals house band in the Fame studios, and the collaboration resulted in the triumphant Tell Mama album.
James's work gained positive attention from critics as well as fans, and her 1973 album Etta James earned a Grammy nomination, in part for its creative combination of rock and funk sounds. After completing her contract with Chess in 1977, James signed on with Warner Brothers Records. A renewed public profile followed her appearance at the opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Subsequent albums, including Deep In The Night and Seven Year Itch, received high critical acclaim.
Etta James was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1993, prior to her signing a new recording contract with Private Records.
Black History People
-
Black History Groups
Learn more about the lives of African-Americans who have made extraordinary achievements in their fields, with our collection of Black History Groups.
Explore our curated collections of African-American figures, including:
Black History Videos
-
Black History Videos
Watch full episodes of Black History icons, record-breakers and leaders. See how famous figures like Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln and Jackie Robinson changed history. See all videos.
profile name: Etta James profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
African-American Biopics
View groupWho can forget Angela Bassett as Tina Turner or Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles? Do you remember who played Billie Holiday? Or who Beyoncé performed as in the film Cadillac Records? More recent African-American biopics include the Lifetime original movie Betty & Coretta (2013), starring Angela Bassett as Coretta Scott King and Mary J. Blige as Betty Shabazz, and The Butler (2013), starring Forest Whitaker and based on the life of Eugene Allen.
View our photos of African-American biopics to compare these famous figures to the actors and actresses who have portrayed them.
African-American Biopics 39 people in this group
-
Name Changers
View groupIn entertainment, where the line between fiction and reality is often blurry, names are a crucial part of a celebrity's image. Stage names are often chosen to make an actor or musician's name easier to pronounce or remember, or simply to make it sounds more attractive. Here are famous celebrities who have changed their names.
Name Changers 236 people in this group
-
Soul Train Guests 110 people in this group
presented by Soul Train Guests
