Biography

Etta James

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Born
January 25, 1938 · Los Angeles, California, USA
Died
January 20, 2012 · Riverside, California, USA (complications from leukemia)
Birth name
Jamesetta Hawkins
Nicknames
- Miss Peaches
- The Matriarch of R&B
Height
5′ 3″ (1.60 m)

Etta James is an American singer who performed in various genres, including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz, gospel. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind". She faced a number of personal problems, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch.

Etta James's powerful, deep, earthy voice bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. She won six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Rolling Stone magazine ranked James number 22 on its list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time; she was ranked number 62 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tango Papa

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 18, 2003.
She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame for her services and contributions to the music industry. She was awarded four Grammy Awards including the 2003 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for the album "Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday".
Died from complications from leukemia on January 20, 2012, with her husband, Artis Mills, and her sons by her side. She died at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, California, where she was a resident at the time of her death. She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, and also suffered from dementia and hepatitis.
Claimed in her autobiography that Minnesota Fats was her biological father. But Wanderone never confirmed this.
Ranked #19 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.

I figured I could do "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" because I believe it's the truth.
Most of the songs I sing have that blues feeling. They have that sorry feeling. And I don't know what I'm sorry about. I don't.
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.
The only time that I am really truly happy - when I feel at my best - is when I am on the stage.
When I perform, what happens is I'm somewhere else. I go back in time and get in touch with who I really am.

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