Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins, January 25, 1938) died today. Her unique talent was a huge force for modernizing American popular music.
"Etta James was a pioneer. Her ever-changing sound has influenced rock and roll, rhythm and blues, pop, soul and jazz artists, marking her place as one of the most important female artists of our time," said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Terry Stewart. "From Janis Joplin to Joss Stone, an incredible number of performers owe their debts to her. There is no mistaking the voice of Etta James, and it will live forever."
-- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Terry Stewart,
quoted by the Associated Press, January 20, 2012
Mack Gordon wrote the lyrics and the legendary Harry Warren wrote the music for "At Last." It was written for the movie Sun Valley Serenade, where it was sung by Pat Friday and Ray Eberle, backed by the Glenn Miller orchestra. Warren himself was a genius at composing pop songs, especially for motion pictures. He had more hits than George Gershwin and Cole Porter combined. A subsequent arrangement by Glenn Miller was a hit that became an American standard.
Etta James started out singing in her church choir as a child. She began recording with a girl-only group, singing mostly doo-wop. After James signed with the famous Chicago recording label Chess, she had some hits and began touring with famous performers like Little Richard, Bobby Vinton, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Everly Brothers.
Early rock and roll, as well as doo-wop, frequently borrowed from American standards and pre-war hits as the basis for more modern songs. Fats Domino’s version of "My Blue Heaven" is an example. So are many of the top hits of the doo-wop giants The Platters, such as "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." In 1960, James recorded a modernized version of "At Last" for Chess records. A boogie-woogie style piano beat came in after an introduction by strings, and the lyrics were sung slowly and sensually. It was a defining hit for rhythm and blues music.
Etta James cover for "At Last"
Her version of "At Last" has become the ultimate interpretation among dozens of recordings of this song (many listed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Last ). Her rendition was used in the mid-1990s as background for Jaguar television commercials. Different versions of the song were used at the many inaugural balls in January of 2009 for President Barack Obama.
From Wikipedia:
Etta James
(born Jamesetta Hawkins; January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) was an American singer whose style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, rhythm n blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz. Starting her career in the mid 1950s, she gained fame with hits such as "Dance With Me, Henry", "At Last," "Tell Mama and "I’d Rather Go Blind" " for which she claimed she wrote the lyrics. She faced a number of personal problems including drug addiction before making a musical resurgence in the late 1980s with the album, The Seven Year Itch.
She is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and is the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. Rolling Stone ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etta_James
-- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Terry Stewart,
quoted by the Associated Press, January 20, 2012
Mack Gordon wrote the lyrics and the legendary Harry Warren wrote the music for "At Last." It was written for the movie Sun Valley Serenade, where it was sung by Pat Friday and Ray Eberle, backed by the Glenn Miller orchestra. Warren himself was a genius at composing pop songs, especially for motion pictures. He had more hits than George Gershwin and Cole Porter combined. A subsequent arrangement by Glenn Miller was a hit that became an American standard.
Etta James started out singing in her church choir as a child. She began recording with a girl-only group, singing mostly doo-wop. After James signed with the famous Chicago recording label Chess, she had some hits and began touring with famous performers like Little Richard, Bobby Vinton, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Everly Brothers.
Early rock and roll, as well as doo-wop, frequently borrowed from American standards and pre-war hits as the basis for more modern songs. Fats Domino’s version of "My Blue Heaven" is an example. So are many of the top hits of the doo-wop giants The Platters, such as "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." In 1960, James recorded a modernized version of "At Last" for Chess records. A boogie-woogie style piano beat came in after an introduction by strings, and the lyrics were sung slowly and sensually. It was a defining hit for rhythm and blues music.
Her version of "At Last" has become the ultimate interpretation among dozens of recordings of this song (many listed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Last ). Her rendition was used in the mid-1990s as background for Jaguar television commercials. Different versions of the song were used at the many inaugural balls in January of 2009 for President Barack Obama.
From Wikipedia:
Etta James
(born Jamesetta Hawkins; January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) was an American singer whose style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, rhythm n blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz. Starting her career in the mid 1950s, she gained fame with hits such as "Dance With Me, Henry", "At Last," "Tell Mama and "I’d Rather Go Blind" " for which she claimed she wrote the lyrics. She faced a number of personal problems including drug addiction before making a musical resurgence in the late 1980s with the album, The Seven Year Itch.
She is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and is the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. Rolling Stone ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etta_James
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