Etta James (1938–2012) was an American singer whose voice moved effortlessly between R&B, blues, gospel, and rock and roll across five decades. At Last! (1960) gave us one of the most-covered songs in American music, and the Muscle Shoals-cut Tell Mama (1968) is every bit its equal. Shop Etta James vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Jamesetta Hawkins was born in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 1938. She launched her career as a teenager with The Wallflowers (later renamed the Peaches), recording the answer song Roll with Me, Henry (renamed The Wallflower) in 1955. She signed with Chess Records in 1960 and recorded her landmark album At Last! (1960), with the title track becoming one of the most-covered songs in 20th century American popular music. She continued through Chess, Argo, and Cadet through the 1960s, with the southern-soul-influenced Tell Mama (1968) at Muscle Shoals representing another commercial and creative peak. Her career across the subsequent four decades involved personal struggles with addiction alongside continued recording. She won six Grammy Awards. She died of leukemia on January 20, 2012, five days before her 74th birthday.
Etta James's catalog spans R&B, soul, blues, gospel, jazz, doo-wop, and rock and roll. Her vocal performance - capable of intimate balladry, blues, gospel power, and rock and roll energy - is widely regarded as one of the foundational vocal styles in American popular music.
Original Argo and Cadet pressings of the Etta James catalog are widely collected. Multiple anniversary editions, audiophile reissues (Mobile Fidelity, Acoustic Sounds), and the Heart and Soul: A Retrospective box set have been released across the catalog.
Listeners new to Etta James typically start with At Last! (1960) or Tell Mama (1968).
