Friday, January 20, 2012

R.I.P. Etta James

Etta James passed away today at the age of 73! She struggled with leukemia, dementia and kidney problems. :-(



Etta James musical career spanned six decades. She started out in a group called, "The Peaches" singing background vocals. Then she went solo ending up with a second Top 10 hit in 1955 with "Good Rockin' Daddy." After beginning to date The Moonglows vocalist, Harvey Fuqua, James signed with Chess Records'. Producer, Leonard Chess, believed James had crossover pop potential, and backed her material with orchestral arrangements. With this new style, many of James songs became hits on both the R&B and Pop charts, such as "All I Could Do Was Cry", "At Last", and "Trust in Me." She released her debut album, At Last! in 1960, followed by The Second Time Around in 1961. In 1968, James had her first Top 10 hit in three years with "Tell Mama", which was followed by an album of the same name. Her discography consists of 28 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 6 compilations. She has a total of 58 singles!

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