Ever heard of this woman? My God, she was bloody brilliant! One of the biggest stars of blues, R&B, gospel, jazz and even early rock and roll. You name it and this woman sang it! She was one of the first cross over stars into "white music" and she literally owns some of her earliest songs. Any other performer who tries to cover them just fails. Think Judy Garland and "Over the Rainbow" and you get the idea. Her most memorable hit is "At Last". What a fucking unbelievable song! And enough strings behind her to build a village worth of fishing nets with! This woman had the most amazing production behind her that it hurt. And it felt and sounded so good that it made you cry. We're talking full orchestras here!
She had a voice I can only describe as warm honey. On a hot day. It was smooth, it was soothing and it was just heart stopping! She could rap her voice around a song like no one I have ever heard!
She had the most shitty life imaginable. She was screwed over by managers and promoters, ripped off by everyone she trusted, beat up repeatedly by husbands and boy friends, left destitute, had lots of chemical dependency issues and even spent some time behind bars for cashing bad checks to support her family. Yet, still she survived. And came back. God love you Miss James!
She has rocked music festivals ever since and received standing ovations for as long as fifteen minutes when performing live. She has toured, introduced a whole new generation to her sound and won more awards than even she can possibly count. Five years ago she rocked "Austin City Limits" to its very foundations with a live performance of amazing quality. And she still had a voice of honey-like quality. She has covered songs of some of the leading performers of our day and done them so well that they make the originals pale in comparison. This lady had so much style, grace and talent it just takes your breath away!
Miss James is now 72 years old. Two years ago she collapsed on stage and was rushed to a hospital suffering from dehydration and was forced to cancel a tour she was in the middle of. Last year she raked Beyonce over the coals for doing a cover of "At Last". Yes, she admitted that Beyonce was talented but then said that she just wasn't Miss Etta James! Hey, when you own a song you can say whatever you want. She didn't even bother to comment on the Christina Aquilera cover of that same song. Yeah, Christina just screwed the hell out of it. Totally. You just don't mess with perfection I guess...
A couple of days ago her eldest son announced that not only has Miss James retired but also that she is suffering from advanced Alzheimer's disease for which she is now under around the clock care. We have truly lost one of the greatest talents of the 20th century. A career that spanned 6 decades has been made silent by an ailment so horrible that it is hard for me to wrap an understanding around it. A voice so pure, a soul so unbelievably strong and a will so undeniable is now lost to all of us. Miss James, you may be "gone" but you are most certainly not forgotten. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your music!
I remember the first time I heard your voice. I was eight and in my grandma's kitchen. Grandma had the kitchen radio on and was pouring me some Kool-Aid. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard the opening strings of that song. They were, and still are unbelievable. It was my first taste of a full orchestra. And then you began to sing. The song was "At Last" and I was changed forever. It was a Kenmore AM radio that only played mono but your voice struck a cord in my young heart that resonates to this day. You had soul girl! God, did you have soul! Of a size that is hard for me to comprehend to this day. Again, Miss James, thank you for the music...
No comments:
Post a Comment