The film Cadillac Records, a heavily fictionalised biopic about Chess Records, attracted wide attention due to Beyonc's appearance asJames. [40] Her musical style changed during the course of her career. With Fuqua, Etta went on to sing songs like I Just Want to Make Love to You, If I Cant Have You and later became the duo Betty & Dupree on Kent Records while also recording on Chess due to the lack of money they were paid on Chess. Cover of Etta James: The Essential Modern Records Collection, Chops: What Bassists Listen for in Drummers, The 10 Best Jazz Albums of the 1950s: Critics Picks, Year in Review: The Top 40 Jazz Albums of 2022, Year in Review: The Top 10 Historical Albums of 2022, Chops: What Bassists Listen for in Drummers. She agreed, lied to him that she was 18 and, when he demanded her mother's signed consent, went home and forged it Dorothy was then in prison. She also often performed at free summer arts festivals throughout the United States. During Ettas early days at Chess, she was very open in having a relationship with Harvey Fuqua, member of the Moonglows and later played a pivotal role in the formation of Motown Records. Addicted to heroin and bad men, she lived a criminal lifestyle and was jailed several times. Who was Harvey Fuqua dating before Etta James? Rock 'n' Roll.[29]. Her 1963 album Etta James Rocks the House was recorded live at the New Era club in Nashville and documents a formidable performer. Hail! Joplin had admired James and had covered "Tell Mama" in concert. [56] In 1969, she spent 10 days in jail for violating probation.[51]. Chess was the focus of 2008 movies Cadillac Records (portrayed by Adrien Brody) and Who Do You Love? Like most of her tone-deaf predecessors, Martin feels the need to make the truth more entertaining and ends up desecrating the history books. and help keep the future of the Observer, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, Dallas Observer's The Morning After Brunch. [19] The first string-laden ballad James recorded was "My Dearest Darling" in May 1960, which peaked in the top five of the R&B chart. Is the movie Cadillac Records based on a true story? King when she was 16. [1][2][3][4] He and his brother, Fiszel, sister, Malka, and mother arrived in New York in 1928 from Poland. The Chess brothers moved the company away from black pop and jazz and other genres into down home blues music with artists such as Muddy Waters. The film stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, Cedric the Entertainer . Another story was that Otis spotted the Creolettes performing at a Los Angeles nightclub and sought for them to record his "answer song" to Hank Ballard's "Work with Me, Annie". All rights reserved. [53] Both were musicians and eventually performed professionally with their mother; Donto played drums at Montreux in 1993, and Sametto played bass guitar circa 2003, among other performances and tours. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Her husband Artis Mills accepted responsibility when they were both arrested for heroin possession, and served a 10-year prison sentence. In 1967 Leonard Chess, the founder of Chess Records, sent. Etta James, who has died at the age of of 73, had a rich, contralto voice that breathed life into a host of musical genres, from blues to jazz, R&B to soul. (A far better place to start would be Nadine Cohodas' 2001 book, Spinning Blues Into Gold, about the Chess Brothersyes, both of them.) Chess contacted Sam Phillips (of Sun Records) to help find and record new artists from the South. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Often controversial, always entertaining, JazzTimes is a favorite of musicians and fans alike. At the beginning of her recording career, in the mid-1950s, James was marketed as an R&B and doo-wop singer. The title was changed to the less evocative The Wallflower and, despite its notoriety (or, more likely, because of it), it soared to number 1 on the R&B charts. In 1960, Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins), a moody singer with a contralto voice as striking as the platinum-blond beehive hairdo she wore in one iconic publicity shot, joined the Chess. Her funeral was presided over by the Reverend Al Sharpton and took place in Gardena, California eight days after her death. Two other Berry tunes are included in this collection, the rollicking Number One (which cleverly references Henry as a bygone lover) and the stridently plaintive Im A Fool. James herself co-authored both the playfully sensual W-O-M-A-N and the high-octane Tough Lover, easily the equal of any of Little Richards thundering hits. What characteristics allow plants to survive in the desert? Once you indulge yourself in her life, you quickly comprehend the fierce spirit, complexities and facts never fully realized in the Beyonce produced film, Cadillac Records. Brussels music act Vaya Con Dios covered the song on their 1990 album Night Owls. After leaving the Peaches, James had another R&B hit with "Good Rockin' Daddy" but struggled with follow-ups. What happened to the owner of Chess Records? have a nice afternoon! About Us Chess Records, whose founder, Leonard Chess, called James their first soul singer, she wrote. [51] She was in the Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital for 17 months, starting at the age of 36, and went through a great struggle at the start of treatment. In her autobiography, Rage to Survive, she wrote that she heard the song outlined by her friend Ellington "Fugi" Jordan when she visited him in prison. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. (He is, however, a central player in Jerry Zaks' Who Do You Love, the other Chess bio that had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.) She won six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was placed on probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine. James's continuing appeal to new generations was proved when the R&B superstar Beyonc played James in the 2008 film Cadillac Records. Described as a soul enigma by MOJO magazine in 2002, Jordan has had a fascinating musical career of his own. They quickly went to Chicago to join their father, Joseph, who was already engaged in the liquor business, which was illegal at the height of Prohibition and controlled in Chicago by Al Capone. From her first R&B hit, in 1955, the risqu Roll With Me Henry cut when she was only 15 through a series of classic 1960s soul sides (thelush ballad At Last, theraucous house rocker Tell Mama and the emotional agony of I'd Rather Go Blind), then a series of critically acclaimed 1970s and 1980s albums that won her a broad rock audience, to more recent albums of jazz vocals, James proved capable of developing and changing asan artist. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Not saying I wasnt pleased to see Beyonces commitment to the role written however that role was poorly written and watered down. He said Id gotten all my moral values from Mama Lu, but I never knew a normal life.And then when Mama Lu died and Dorothy snatched me away, everything went haywire., While there was a number of other omissions such as the exclusion of Leonard Chesss brother, co-founder and partner Phil Chess, the question still stands, why were these truths never told? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. [18] In early 1955, she and an aspiring singer, the 19-year-old Elvis Presley, then recording for Sun Studios and an avid fan of King's, shared a bill in a large club just outside Memphis. In October 1969, Leonard Chess died and by 1972, the only part of Chess Records still operating in Chicago was the recording studio, Ter-Mar Studios. Shescored a surprising (and sole) UK top 10 hit in 1996 when her threatening reading of I Just Want to Make Love to You became the soundtrack to a Diet Coke advertisement. At the age of 14, she met musician Johnny Otis. Indeed, hurt, anger and self-destructive behaviour boiled beneath the surface of her vocals. Theyoung superstar made adecent job of portraying her as a foul-mouthed, two-fisted singer, yet lacked the raging bull quality that made James sounforgettable. James publicly criticised her, then later offered an apology, suggesting that she was upset not to have been invited to sing herself. Polish-American record executive (19171969), Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Phil Chess, co-founder of blues label Chess Records, dies", "Will the real music mogul stand up? (You can hear his own, more psychedelic take on the song, called Id Rather Be a Blind Man, on YouTube.) The illness became terminal, and her husband Artis Mills was appointed sole conservator of the James estate and to oversee her medical care. But nothing has an impact or leaves a mark, least of all the songs, watered down by actors doing miniature impersonations of giants. Etta James, who has died aged 73 after suffering from leukaemia, was among the most critically acclaimed and influential female singers of the past 50 years, even if she never achieved huge popular success. inserted here and there to remind us that these small stars are, in fact, portraying larger-than-life musicians whose work would influence generations. On October 16, 1969, a few months after selling his namesake label to General Recorded Tape, Leonard Chess died of a heart attack. [10][11] On October 16, 1969, a few months after selling his namesake label to General Recorded Tape, Leonard Chess died of a heart attack. James' 1973 album, exhibiting a mixture of musical styles, was nominated for a Grammy Award. The film follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's greatest Negro . Beyonc was invited to sing At Last at Barack Obama's presidential inauguration in January 2009. Where is the border between Italy and France? By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. In her 1995 autobiography A Rage to Survive, she said that the time she spent in the hospital changed her life. It never happened. He even asked James, a longtime friend, and she told him, He kissed me on the cheek once.. I agree, the Etta James story needs no embellishment. He was the co-founder of the legendary Chess Records label, which was responsible for signing and starting the careers of some of music's biggest stars. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. "He went up and down the halls of Chess announcing, `Etta's crossed over! Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. In February 1955, the song reached number one on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Tracks chart. Leonard Chess (March 12, 1917 October 16, 1969) was an American record company executive and the co-founder of Chess Records. He wrote that James had her first hit single when she was 15 years old and went steady with B.B. Read More Joe Williams: Beyond the Blues, As a JazzTimes writer, I can talk about the powers of a dynamic drummer until Im blue in the face: the weight of each tom-toms Read More Chops: What Bassists Listen for in Drummers, America's jazz resource, delivered to your inbox. 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." When did Etta James change her name to Peaches? Chess, a junkyard owner, dreams of opening a nightclub, which he does: the Macomba Lounge. In 2001, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the latter for her contributions to the developments of both rock and roll and rockabilly. may be a great author. Phil and his brother, Leonard Chess, emigrated to the. [19] Chess Records co-founder Leonard Chess envisioned James as a classic ballad stylist who had potential to cross over to the pop charts and soon surrounded the singer with violins and other string instruments. (Muddy Waters' first trip to the UK was in 1958, not 1967; it is also unlikely that Leonard Chess and Etta James had a love affair. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The story is too fragmented to deciphera sloppily arranged sequence of sketches that's like a who's who without the why. The tracks crossover potential was limited by more than just its sexually charged lyrics. King, Janet Jackson, Teddy Riley and many others. 4 When did Etta James move to Los Angeles? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. That was in 1956. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. A raunchy answer song to Ballards equally suggestive Work With Me Annie, the track was considered too racy for mainstream radio airplay. Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Lejzor became Leonard. Chess Records began after Phil and Leonard acquired full ownership of Chicago-based Aristocrat Records in 1950, Leonard having bought an initial share in it in 1947. Although her father has never been identified,[9] James speculated that she was the daughter of pool player Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, whom she met briefly in 1987. [42] The following year, 1990, she received an NAACP Image Award, which is given for "outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts;"[66] it was an award she cherished as it "was coming from my own people". During her hospitalization, her son Donto revealed to the public that she had been previously diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2008. But you always knew that Read More Kelly Sill, Several years ago, one of Danilo Prezs students was suffering from tendinitis. Two of her early songs have been given Grammy Hall of Fame Awards for "qualitative or historical significance": "At Last", in 1999,[72] and "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)" in 2008. [19] After signing with Chess Records in 1960, James broke through as a traditional pop-styled singer, covering jazz and pop music standards on her debut album, At Last! A Toast to 2018, the Year Movies Roared Back. Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 1938; her mother was just 14 years old at the time, and she never knew her father, though she would later say she had reason to believe he was the well-known pool hustler Minnesota Fats. She announced that this would be her final album. In early 1961, James released what was to become her signature song, "At Last", a Glenn Miller tune, which reached number two on the R&B chart and number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. All contents I will make certain to bookmark your blog and will often come back Having finally conquered her drug addiction in 1988, she began to struggle with her weight in 2002, weighing more than 400lb, she had gastric bypass surgery and lost 200lb, which allowed her to return to active singing and performing. According to Marshall Chess, son of Leonard Chess, he had these words to say concerning the issue of this affair: Now, my father was no angel, but (he) was never caught in an affair, Chess said. James was raised by friends and relatives instead of her mother through most of . Photograph: Sherry Rayn Barnett/Getty Images, Etta James: 'I was like a punker I'd spit in a minute' a classic interview from the vaults, Etta James - famous fans pay tribute on Twitter, Etta James to undergo court-ordered medical exam. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". [7] In 1950, the Chess brothers renamed the company Chess Records. and currently resides in Atlanta, GA as a Georgia Peach. Lejzor Szmuel Czy (March 12, 1917 October 16, 1969), best known as Leonard Sam Chess, was a Polish-American record company executive and the co-founder of Chess Records. Her records continued to chart in the R&B Top 40 in the early 1970s, with singles such as "Losers Weepers" (1970) and "I Found a Love" (1972). I was blind in my love life, and I was blind in my personal ways. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Video unavailable Watch on YouTube Watch on Love Ms. Etta James!! James continued to perform on occasion in the early 1980s, including two guest appearances at Grateful Dead concerts in December 1982. The album set a trend of incorporating more jazz elements in James's music. In 1950, Mama Lu died, and James's biological mother took her to the Fillmore district of San Francisco. It never happened. He even asked James, a longtime friend, and she told him, He kissed me on the cheek once.. December 4, 2008 Former Artie Shaw vocalist Georgia Gibbs, signed to the far more powerful Mercury label, released a cleaned-up cover version, safely entitled Dance With Me Henry. It spent three weeks at number one on the pop charts. She carried on touring but by 2010 had to cancel concert dates because of her gradually failing health; by this time she was suffering from dementia and leukemia. Leonard and Phil Chess were two Polish immigrant brothers that founded Chess Records. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 1938; her mother was just 14 years old at the time, and she never knew her father, though she would later say she had reason to believe he was the well-known pool hustler Minnesota Fats. [28] In 1987, she performed "Rock and Roll Music" with Chuck Berry in the documentary film Hail! All you need to Know about Revetta Sloan's Husband Leonard Chess When Leonard Chessthe founder of Jamess label, Chess Recordsfirst heard the song, James says, he got up and left the room cause he started crying When he came back in the room, he said, Etta, its a mother its a mother. So it is. And listening to it today seems a fitting, if inadequate, tribute to Etta James. Her approach to both singing and life was throughout one of wild, often desperate engagement that included violence, drug addiction, armed robbery and highly capricious behaviour. A shift to Warner Brothers in 1978 did not return her to a wide audience and, although she often worked with major producers, James remained beloved more by critics and blues-soul aficionados than a mass audience. Wilson went on to live for another ten years in the care center Presley found for him. And he continues to record, it seems; here is his fledgling Facebook page. She was born Jamesetta Hawkins to 14-year-old Dorothy Hawkins and an unknown white father, although James maintained he was the pool shark Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, and was raised at first in Los Angeles by adoptive parents. In 1973, James was arrested for possession of heroin. James wrote or co-wrote several of her greatest songs. Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 1938; her mother was just 14 years old at the time, and she never knew her father, though she would later say she. Its also an opportunity to mention her friend and co-writer, the far less famous Ellington Fugi Jordan. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Pianist Prez was then a professor at the New England Conservatory; his student, Read More Explaining the Taubman Approach, Everyone knows that Joe Williams sang the hell out of the blues, but do you know what else he sang the hell out of? The true story is that the man who recorded under the pseudonym Howlin Wolf was a 300-pound farmer named Chester Burnette. Sumlins partner, Toni Ann, posted the news online. Leonard and his brother Phil became involved in the black nightclub scene on the South Side of Chicago in 1938 running a series of jazz clubs, culminating in the Macomba Lounge. Many of the much deserved tributes to appear so far have singled out her most famous single, the great At Last, enormously popular at weddingsand famously sung by Beyoncto Barack and Michelle Obama upon his inauguration as president (possibly still, somewhat regrettably, my favorite moment from the entire Obama presidency). [67] In 2020, James was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. James ventured into rock and funk with the release of her self-titled album in 1973, with production from the famed rock producer Gabriel Mekler, who had worked with Steppenwolf and Janis Joplin. All rights reserved. With that said, it greatly disappoints me that in light of her authenticity, this truth has failed to be depicted on the screens of Hollywood. 19381959: Childhood and career beginnings, 19601978: Chess and Warner Brothers years, Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, "Etta James Hospitalized, Tour Suspended", "Etta James | American singer | Britannica", "The 35 Greatest R&B Artists Of All Time", "Etta James: Acclaimed Soul Singer Who Fought to Overcome Her Personal Demons", "Nashville's smoldering R&B; scene where Jimi Hendrix 'learned to play' was invisible to Music City", "Taters, and Other Fascinating People: NO QUARTER", "Talent on Stage: Richard Pryor, Etta James", "Happy Birthday Etta James: Grateful Dead Sit-In On New Year's 1982", "Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Opening Ceremony Complete", "Playboy Jazz Festival Historical Highlights", "North Sea Jazz program archive | NN North Sea Jazz Festival", "Beyonce to Portray Legendary Blues Singer Etta James in 'Cadillac Records', "Etta James Says Rip on Beyonce Was a Joke", "Hospitalized Etta James Battling Alzheimer's, Infection, Son Says", "Etta James Remembered by will.i.am, Hayley Williams", "Rhythm & Blues Foundation Preserving America's Soul", "Interview: Shinedown Vocalist Inspired by Chris Cornell, Otis Redding", "100 Greatest Artists of All Time:Etta James", "Etta James, the husky-voiced R&B singer, dies at 73", "Etta James' husband, sons battle over money for her care", "James pours heart, soul into set To the 'Last', "Remembering Etta James, Stunning Singer", "Etta James Faces New Cort Action In Los Angeles", "Son says singer Etta James changes hospitals", "Etta James' estate settled in wake of terminally ill diagnosis", "Etta James Dies at 73; Voice Behind 'At Last', "Highly regarded L.A. tenor, alto saxophonist played with A-list stars", "Singer Etta James Displays Her Star With U S Nieuwsfoto's | Getty Images Nederland | 1939332", "Recording Academy Honors Etta James, Simon & Garfunkel, Alan Lomax | News", "The Blues Foundation: About The Blues Foundation", "The Blues Foundation: Past Blues Music Awards", Burnin' Down the House: Live at the House of Blues, Miss Etta James: The Complete Modern and Kent Recordings, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Etta_James&oldid=1149759960, African-American women singer-songwriters, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, 21st-century African-American women singers, 20th-century African-American women singers, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2021, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, In 2006, James received the Billboard R&B Founders Award, This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 07:52. During drunken poker games at home, he would awaken James in the early morning hours and force her with beatings to sing for his friends. James possessed the vocal range of a contralto. That year, James's influence was everywhere, with avariety of black female singers (including Turner, Gladys Knight and Candi Staton) employing her defiant, abrasive vocal style. Leonard Chess, decided James would . As a teenager on tours with Otis, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Ike and Tina Turner and Little Richard, James encountered and quickly embraced much debauchery. Rock'n'Roll (1987), opened stadium dates for the Rolling Stones and was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Artist(s) that make her freak out as a music fan: Sheila E., Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Quincy Jones. James' enduring relevance was affirmed in 2011 when the late Swedish DJ Avicii achieved substantial chart success with the song "Levels", which samples her 1962 song "Something's Got a Hold on Me".
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