Nora
Senior Member
ETTA JAMES
Etta James (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) was an American singer who performed in various genres, including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel. Etta’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 and she was also ranked number 62 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
She possessed the vocal range of a contralto. Her musical style changed during the course of her career. At the beginning her recording career, in the mid-1950s, Etta was marketed as an R&B and doo-wop singer. After signing with Chess Records in 1960, Etta broke through as a traditional pop-styled singer, covering jazz and pop music standards on her debut album, At Last! Etta’s voice deepened and coarsened, moving her musical style in her later years into the genres of soul and jazz. Etta James was once considered one of the most overlooked blues and R&B musicians in the music history of the United States. It was not until the early 1990s, when she began receiving major industry awards from the Grammys and the Blues Foundation, that she began to receive wide recognition. In recent years, she was seen as bridging the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll.
Discography
Songs & Videos
At Last
I Just Want To Make Love To You
Tell Mama
Stormy Weather
Cry Me a River
