In 2008, James was portrayed by Beyonc Knowles in the film Cadillac Records, a fictional account of Chess Records, James's label for 18 years, about how label founder and producer Leonard Chess helped the careers of James and others. In particular, her song "Something's Got a Hold on Me" has been recognized in many ways. James was raised by friends and relatives instead of her mother through most of . The song reached No 1 on the R&B charts (while Georgia Gibbs's bland cover went to No 1 in the pop charts). [4] Around this time, she became involved in a relationship with the singer Harvey Fuqua, the founder of the doo-wop group the Moonglows. So heres to both Jordan and James, and to the great song they wrote together. Presley died a year later. [10][11] On October 16, 1969, a few months after selling his namesake label to General Recorded Tape, Leonard Chess died of a heart attack. From her first R&B hit, in 1955, the risqu Roll With Me Henry cut when she was only 15 through a series of classic 1960s soul sides (thelush ballad At Last, theraucous house rocker Tell Mama and the emotional agony of I'd Rather Go Blind), then a series of critically acclaimed 1970s and 1980s albums that won her a broad rock audience, to more recent albums of jazz vocals, James proved capable of developing and changing asan artist. Fortunately, the best of those early recordings, all for Modern Records, have now been assembled in a single-disc collection. They quickly went to Chicago to join their father, Joseph, who was already engaged in the liquor business, which was illegal at the height of Prohibition and controlled in Chicago by Al Capone. 2 What happened to the owner of Chess Records? Who was the co-founder of Chess Records? Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. She quickly became known for having an unusually strong voice for a child her age. After leaving the Peaches, James had another R&B hit with "Good Rockin' Daddy" but struggled with follow-ups. [37] It was later reported that Alzheimer's disease and "drug-induced dementia" had contributed to her negative comments about Knowles.[38]. Very concisely written. James was once considered one of the most overlooked blues and R&B musicians in the music history of the United States. [19] After signing with Chess Records in 1960, James broke through as a traditional pop-styled singer, covering jazz and pop music standards on her debut album, At Last! With everything so wrong, how can there be anything right about Cadillac Records? "Something's Got a Hold on Me" is a song by American singer Etta James. Etta James, one of the great American pop singers of the last half-century, died this morning. If youd like to share your comments about Etta James, or have suggestions for future installments of Hearing Voices, please email [emailprotected]. Addicted to heroin and bad men, she lived a criminal lifestyle and was jailed several times. Also along for the ride are Chess' and Waters' women, Revetta (Entourage's Emmanuelle Chriqui) and Geneva (Gabrielle Union), respectively, who do little other than quietly frown and tolerate their husbands' myriad dalliances. Also included are her near-orgiastic reading of Lieber and Stollers Tears of Joy and the sunny Come What May, which finds James is a slightly mellower groove, presaging her Chess work that commenced just a couple of years later. In 1954, she moved to Los Angeles to record "The Wallflower." Her career had begun to soar by 1960, due in no small part to songs like "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "At Last." When did Etta James change her name to Peaches? [60] She died on January 20, 2012, five days before her 74th birthday, at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, California. Also in 1995, she recorded the album Time After Time. [24] The album did not produce any major hits, however, and neither did the follow-up album, Come a Little Closer, in 1974, though, like '73's Etta James before it, the album was also critically acclaimed. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". [19] After a couple of years of minor hits, James's career started to suffer after 1965. [56] In 1969, she spent 10 days in jail for violating probation.[51]. What happened between Etta James and Leonard Chess? If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. But rarely is Etta James recognized among those pioneers. An album of the same name was also released that year and included her take on Otis Redding's "Security". [15] At this time Otis also gave James her stage name, transposing "Jamesetta" (her given first name) into "Etta James. It is simply my hope to witness someone who will have the guts to really tell that story in the spirit Etta gave and deserves..the truth! Who was the singer that played Etta James? . [35] She performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2006 and 2009 (prior 2012 credit - after date of death). James participated with the rap singer Def Jef on the song "Droppin' Rhymes on Drums", which mixed James's jazz vocals with hip-hop. Love Ms. Etta James!! Most gallingly, for a film "based on a true story," there doesn't seem to be a single fact contained within writer-director Darnell Martin's ham-fisted fiction, which renders pre-rock musical history as yet another downer soap opera bloated with smack and sex and premature corpses, as though that's all that defined the period and the people. Though James continued to record for Chess, she was devastated by the death of record executive Leonard Chess in 1969. [71] Two other albums have also won awards, Let's Roll (Best Contemporary Blues Album) in 2003, and Blues to the Bone (Best Traditional Blues Album) in 2004. How to Market Your Business with Webinars. Music industry historian John Broven has written that "Leonard Chess was the dynamo behind Chess Records, the label that, along with Atlantic and Sun, has come to epitomize the independent record business. A shift to Warner Brothers in 1978 did not return her to a wide audience and, although she often worked with major producers, James remained beloved more by critics and blues-soul aficionados than a mass audience. What is causing the plague in Thebes and how can it be fixed? The story is too fragmented to deciphera sloppily arranged sequence of sketches that's like a who's who without the why. 5 How many children did Leonard Chess have with Revetta Sloan? She also recalled how happy he made her many years later when she found out that it was Presley who had moved her close friend Jackie Wilson from a substandard convalescent home to a more appropriate facility and, as she put it, paid all the expenses. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. [19] That same year, James was the opening act for the Rolling Stones and performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival. When paired with the right producer and material, she delivered superb albums: Seven Year Itch (1989), Matriarch of the Blues (2000) and even her swansong The Dreamer (2011) find her interpreting lyrics with grace and venom. Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera gave musical tributes. Testimonials, Shipping and Returns Policy The alterations are distracting and head-scratching and ultimately dismissive, to the point where Wright's Muddy Waters is reduced to a mere spectator in his own story, just some guy who hangs around the Chess studios to glower at Howlin' Wolf and panhandle Chess for money. Everything. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. "Now, my father was no angel, but [he] was never caught in an affair," Chess said. On October 16, 1969, a few months after selling his namesake label to General Recorded Tape, Leonard Chess died of a heart attack. [11], Sarge, like the musical director for the choir, was also abusive. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Like most of her tone-deaf predecessors, Martin feels the need to make the truth more entertaining and ends up desecrating the history books. Etta was definitely one of the greats! James encountered a string of legal problems during the early 1970s due to her heroin addiction. She is survived by her husband and her sons, Donto and Sametto. This brought her to yet another audience. James never again enjoyed a major US hit, although she continued to record strong material. Confronting Satan in a Dark Spanish Castle, sung by Beyoncto Barack and Michelle Obama. 0. [20] James followed this with "Trust in Me", which also included string instruments. Her records continued to chart in the R&B Top 40 in the early 1970s, with singles such as "Losers Weepers" (1970) and "I Found a Love" (1972). [14] Within a couple of years, she began listening to doo-wop and was inspired to form a girl group, the Creolettes (so named for the members' light-skinned complexions). Sumlins partner, Toni Ann, posted the news online. Following this success, James became an in-demand concert performer, though she never again reached the heyday of her early to mid-1960s success. It produced two hit singles, "Fool That I Am" and "Don't Cry Baby".[23]. Video unavailable Watch on YouTube Watch on [28] In 1987, she performed "Rock and Roll Music" with Chuck Berry in the documentary film Hail! The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. I was blind in my love life, and I was blind in my personal ways. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. He was the co-founder of the legendary Chess Records label, which was responsible for signing and starting the careers of some of music's biggest stars. James continued to record for Chess (now owned by All Platinum Records), releasing one more album in 1976, Etta Is Betta Than Evvah! Thanks for a marvelous posting! And the family name, Czy, became Chess. Stories on how they met vary. Chess Records began after Phil and Leonard acquired full ownership of Chicago-based Aristocrat Records in 1950, Leonard having bought an initial share in it in 1947. [39] James' original classic music again charted after these 21st-century re-interpretations. Our Mission In the 40s, the two brothers owned a blues nightclub on the southside of Chicago where several blues artists would perform at night. Leonard Chess (March 12, 1917 October 16, 1969) was an American record company executive and the co-founder of Chess Records. James became a natural replacement for Joplin after the latter's death in 1970. The British pop singer Adele said that it was buying an Etta James CD when she was 13 that made her want to sing. Hope is known for her creativity, sense of humor and quirky perfectionism. Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 1938; her mother was just 14 years old at the time, and she never knew her father, though she would later say she had reason to believe he was the well-known pool hustler Minnesota Fats. Leonard Chess, decided James would . She was born Jamesetta Hawkins to 14-year-old Dorothy Hawkins and an unknown white father, although James maintained he was the pool shark Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, and was raised at first in Los Angeles by adoptive parents. 2023 Madavor Media, LLC. All rights reserved, Cadillac Records: The "UNTRUE" Story of Etta James, Kashif Presents: The History of R&B music, Morris Day and Sheila E. Bring the Funk to Kiss 104.1 Flashback Festival, Jazz 91.9 WCLK Presents Patti LaBelle with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for 45th Anniversary Benefit Concert, #SoulfulSaturday : How Deep Is Your Love PJ Morton Feat. What happened to the owner of Chess Records? Join the Observer community and help support [42] The following year, 1990, she received an NAACP Image Award, which is given for "outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts;"[66] it was an award she cherished as it "was coming from my own people". The label's many talents included Jimmy Reed, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Muddy Waters, Gene Ammons, Jimmy Rogers,. Etta James, who has died aged 73 after suffering from leukaemia, was among the most critically acclaimed and influential female singers of the past 50 years, even if she never achieved huge popular success. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. For those of you whove never read the the autobiography of Etta James, Rage To Survive, I stronglyencourage you tocheckout thisbook. In 1954, she moved to Los Angeles to record The Wallflower. Her career had begun to soar by 1960, due in no small part to songs like Id Rather Go Blind and At Last.. In May 2009, she received the Soul/Blues Female Artist of the Year award from the Blues Foundation, the ninth time she won that award. Poetic license accounts . James' enduring relevance was affirmed in 2011 when the late Swedish DJ Avicii achieved substantial chart success with the song "Levels", which samples her 1962 song "Something's Got a Hold on Me". In February 1955, the song reached number one on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Tracks chart. inserted here and there to remind us that these small stars are, in fact, portraying larger-than-life musicians whose work would influence generations. Hail! [55] James was arrested in 1966 for writing bad checks. James believed that King's hit single "Sweet Sixteen" was about her. She announced that this would be her final album. Money matters: Though Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) .
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