Despite singing R&B music, James' vocal style was reminiscent of Fitzgerald's jazz. In 1994, James released a tribute album called Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday.Įlla Fitzgerald, known as the First Lady of Song, also inspired Etta James. Etta James fell in love with the way Holiday passionately expressed pain, and chose to emulate it later in her own music. Growing up, James recalled her mother singing along to Billie Holiday while getting ready to work at a bar. Since her childhood, Etta James found inspiration from Billie Holiday. Before her 75th birthday, she died in Riverside, California, on January 20th, 2012 due to leukemia.
In 2008, James was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and her health worsened. Later in her career, James performed with her sons, Donto and Sametto James. In addition, she produced around 30 studio albums in five decades. In the ’60s, she collaborated with Harvey Fuqua and childhood friend Sugar Pie De Santo. In 1960, after leaving The Peaches and finding little success as a solo artist under Modern Records, James joined Chess Records and released her first album, At Last! later that year. Under Modern Records, Otis also reenvisioned Hawkins as Etta James. In the early ’50s, Otis signed James' girl group – known then as The Creolettes – to Modern Records and renamed them The Peaches. After years of singing for her church choir, she met R&B talent scout Johnny Otis when she was fourteen. Hawkins had a rough upbringing due to her father's absence and her mother's inattentiveness, but her talent allowed her to escape the limits of her hardships. The blues, R&B, and soul icon Etta James was born on January 25th, 1938, as Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California.
In this inaugural Vault of Soul post, we're covering the diverse and revolutionary career of legend Etta James:īy Kiersten Tate, WERS Staff Writer Biography Interested in exploring the soul genre beyond the vault? Listen to 88.9 every night from 10 pm to 2 am to The Secret Spot, where host D Danubian will wind you up and then simmer you down with a blend of smooth R&B, vintage soul, and slow jams. From the trailblazers of Motown and disco, to a new generation of rappers and R&B legends, The Vault of Soul has it all. Step inside the vault to discover the life and legacy of some of the world's greatest soul artists, both past and present. Welcome to The Vault of Soul, a new series on our WERS Music Blog.
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