Etta James, the fiery blues singer known best for her uncharacteristically sweet ballad “At Last,” died two weeks ago in Riverside, Calif., after a long battle with chronic leukemia. She was 73.
James was one of the first women inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She began her career in 1954, at the age of 15, with her group the Peaches. Her bold delivery and powerful voice quickly separated her from the crowd, as did her groundbreaking choice of material. She was quickly recognized for her talent and left Peaches for bigger, and better things. During this time, it was apparent that James was not just a blues singer, but on her way to becoming a legend.
“This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends, and fans around the world,” James’ longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon, told CNN. “She was a true original who could sing it all — her music defied category.”
Born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles in 1938, James was tough-talking and forward in her music — scoring hits with “All I Could Do Was Cry” and “I’d Rather Go Blind,” made popular in this generation due to Beyoncé’s rendition of the songs after playing James in the hit movie, Cadillac Records. But there was also an ache in her voice, even before her very public battle with heroin addiction in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, that showed she wasn’t invincible, especially seen in her interpretation of the classic, “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
“Music was thunder and joy, lightning bolts of happiness and praise, foot-stomping, dance-shouting, good-feeling singing from the soul,” James wrote in her autobiography, Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story. “I was also lucky to have the lungs to keep up with these bad boys. When it came to singing, I was no shrinking violet.”
Beyoncé performed, “At Last” for Barack and Michelle Obama’s first dance after his inauguration in 2009, pushing James’ version of the song back onto the pop charts.
James retired from recording in 2011, after releasing her final album, The Dreamer, in November. She included renditions of tracks by everyone from Otis Redding to Guns N Roses.
“I wish to thank all my fans who have shown me love and support over all these years,” James said in a statement accompanying the album’s release. “I love you all.”
