Etta James

 Właśc. Jamesetta Hawkins, [ur. 25.01.1938 r. w Los Angeles w stanie Kalifornia, USA-zm. 20.01.2012r Riverside]. Odkryta przez Johnny'ego Otisa podczas zorganizowanego ad hoc przesłuchania za kulisami Fillmore Auditorium w San Francisco.
Jej pierwszy przebój, "Roll With Me Henry", będący repliką na "Work With Me Annie" Franka Ballarda, wydany dla zamaskowania dwuznacznego tekstu jako "Wallflower", trafił na szczyt rhythm'n'bluesowej listy przebojów. Sukces odniósł też temat "Good Rockin' Daddy", jednak późniejsze single nie trafiły na listy.

 

Mimo to kontrakt z płytowym koncernem Chess umożliwił piosenkarce nagranie tak znaczących utworów jak "All I Could Do Was Cry" (w 1960 r.), "Stop The Wedding" (w 1962 r.) i "Pushover" (w 1963 r.). W kilku innych towarzyszył jej w duecie Harvey Fuqua.
Uzależnienie od heroiny postawiło pod znakiem zapytania osobistą i zawodową przyszłość Etty James. Mimo to w 1968 r. wytwórnia Chess namówiła ją do nagrań w studiu Fame. Album Tell Mama stał się triumfalnym powrotem pieśniarki, której szorstki głos znakomicie współbrzmiał z towarzyszącymi jej muzykami z Muscle Shoals.
 

Przebojami były otwierający płytę temat tytułowy, brawurowa wersja "Security" Otisa Reddinga (oba w rhythm'n'blucsowym Top 20) oraz przejmujący temat "I'd Rather Go Blind" spopularyzowany później w Wielkiej Brytanii przez grupę Chicken Shack.
 

W 1973 r. album Etta James został nominowany do amerykańskiej nagrody Grammy pomimo ciągłych narkotykowych problemów piosenkarki, z którymi zdołała się uporać dopiero w połowie lat osiemdziesiątcyh. Ostatnią nagraną dla Chess płytą była Etta Is Betta Than Evah z 1977 r., po której wokalistka przeszła do wytwórni Warner Brothers. Longplay Deep In The Night zyskał największe uznanie krytyków.
 

W nagranej na żywo płycie Late Show z 1986 r. artystce towarzyszyli Shuggie Otis i Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. Występ podczas otwarcia igrzysk olimpijskich w Los Angeles był początkiem nowego publicznego wizerunku Etty James, utwierdzonego wkrótce nagranym w 1989 r. dla wytwórni Island albumem Seven Year Itch. Płyta ta, jak i następna Stickin' To My Guns, potwierdziły powrót do pełni formy, w czym duży udział mieli i tym razem muzycy z Muscle Shoals.

Single
Tytu³	Wykonawca	Data wydania	UK	US	Wytwórnia [US]	Komentarz
The Wallflower/Hold Me, Squeeze Me	Etta James	02.1955	-	-	Modern 947	[written by James Etta, P. Otis,Hank Ballard][produced by Maxwell Davis][1[4][19].R&B Chart]
Good Rockin' Daddy/Crazy Feeling	Etta James	11.1955	-	-	Modern 962	[written by Joe Josea,Richard Berry][6[3].R&B Chart]
All i could do was cry/Girl [Boy] Of my dreams	Etta James	05.1960	-	33[15]	Argo 5359	[written by Billy Davis/Gwen Fuqua/Berry Gordy, Jr.][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess][2[15].R&B Chart]
If i can' t have you/My heart cries	Etta James & Harvey	08.1960	-	52[12]	Chess 1760	[written by James Fugua][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess][6[10].R&B Chart]
My dearest darling/Tough Mary	Etta James	09.1960	-	34[13]	Argo 5368	[written by Gayten Bocage][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess][5[17].R&B Chart]
Spoonful/It's a crying shame	Etta James	12.1960	-	78[3]	Chess 1771	[written by Willie Dixon][produced by Etta James][12[6].R&B Chart]
At last/I just want to make love to you	Etta James	01.1961	-	47[8]	Argo 5380	[#4 hit Glenna Millere w 1942r][written by Mack Gordon/Harry Warren][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess][2[13].R&B Chart]
Trust in me/Anything to say you're mine	Etta James	03.1961	-	30[9]	Argo 5385	[#4 hit Mildred Bailey w 1937r][written by Ned Wever, Milton Ager, and Jean Schwartz][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess][4[9].R&B Chart]
Fool that i am/Dream	Etta James	06.1961	-	50[6] side B:55[3]	Argo 5390	[written by Floyd Hunt][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess][14[6].R&B; Chart]
Don' t cry baby/Sunday kind of love	Etta James	08.1961	-	39[7]	Argo 5393	[written by Saul Bernie/James P. Johnson/Stella Unger][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess][6[12].R&B; Chart]
It' s too soon to know/Seven day fool	Etta James	11.1961	-	54[7] side B:95[1]	Argo 5402	[A:written by Deborah Chessler,E.H. Morris][B:written by Billy Davis,Berry Gordy Jr.,Sonny Woods][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess][#1 hit Orioles w 1948r]
Something' s got a hold on me/Waiting for Charlie to come home	Etta James	02.1962	-	37[12]	Argo 5409	[written by Leroy Kirkland,Etta James, Pearl Woods][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess][6[12].R&B; Chart]
Stop the wedding/Street of tears	Etta James	07.1962	-	34[9]	Argo 5418	[written by Leroy Kirkland,Pearl Woods,Freddy Johnson][produced by Ralph Bass][6[11].R&B; Chart]
Next door to the blues/Fools rush in	Etta James	10.1962	-	71[7] side B:87[4]	Argo 5368	[side B-#3 hit Glenna Millera w 1940r][A:written by Pearl Wood][B:written by Johnny Mercer,Rube Bloom][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess][A:13[7].R&B; Chart]
Would it make any difference to you/How do you talk to an angel	Etta James	01.1963	-	64[7] side B:109[2]	Argo 5430	[written by Forshee][side B:#14 hit Eddie Fisher in 1953]
Pushover/I can't hold it in any more	Etta James	04.1963	-	25[10]	Argo 5437	[written by Billy Davis,Tony Clarke][produced by Billy Davis][7[10].R&B; Chart]
Pay back/Be honest with me	Etta James	08.1963	-	78[6]	Argo 5445	[written by Billy Davis]
Two sides [To every story]/I worry bout you	Etta James	10.1963	-	63[4] side B:118[1]	Argo 5452	[A:written by Billy Davis,Tony Clarke]
Baby what you want me to do/What i say	Etta James	02.1964	-	82[3]	Argo 5459	[written by Jimmy Reed][35[4].R&B; Chart]
Loving you more every day/Look who's blue	Etta James	04.1964	-	65[6]	Argo 5465	[written by Ronny Mitchell][7[14].R&B; Chart]
Mellow Fellow/Bobby Is His Name	Etta James	12.1964	-	-	Argo 5485	[written by Ed Townsend][34[4].R&B; Chart]
Do i make myself clear/Somewhere down the line	Etta James & Sugar Pie De Santo	12.1965	-	96[1]	Argo 5519	[written by Shena DeMell/Peylia Parham]
In the basement Part.1/Part.2	Etta James & Sugar Pie De Santo	08.1966	-	97[2]	Cadet 5539	[written by Raynard Miner,Billy Davis,Carl William Smith][37[6].R&B; Chart]
I Prefer You/I'm So Glad (I Found Love In You)	Etta James	01.1967	-	-	Cadet 5552	[written by Monk Higgins,Maurice Dollison][produced by Ralph Bass, Monk Higgins][42[4].R&B; Chart]
Tell mama/I'd rather go blind	Etta James	11.1967	-	23[14]	Cadet 5578	[written by Clarence Carter,Wilbur Terrell,Marcus Lewis Daniel][produced by Rick Hall][10[16].R&B; Chart]
Security/I'm gonna take what he's got	Etta James	03.1968	-	35[10]	Cadet 5594	[written by Otis Redding,Margaret Wessen][produced by Rick Hall][11[9].R&B; Chart]
I got you babe/I worship the ground you walk on	Etta James	05.1968	-	69[7]	Cadet 5606	[written by Sony Bono][produced by Rick Hall][32[6].R&B; Chart]
You got it/Fire	Etta James	09.1968	-	113[3]	Cadet 5620	[written by Don Covay] [produced by Rick Hall]
Almost persuaded/Steal away	Etta James	01.1969	-	79[5]	Cadet 5630	[written by Glenn Sutton,Billy Sherrill][produced by Rick Hall][32[11].R&B; Chart]
Losers weepers/Weepers	Etta James	10.1970	-	94[3]	Cadet 5676	[written by Leon David Bonds][produced by Rick Hall][26[7].R&B; Chart]
I found a love/Nothing from nothing leaves nothing	Etta James	06.1972	-	108[2]	Chess 2125	[31[6].R&B; Chart][#32 hit by Wilson Pickett in 1967][written by Wilson Pickett,Bob West,Willie Schofield][produced by Ralph Bass,Gene Barge]
All the way down/Lay back daddy	Etta James	10.1973	-	101[8]	Chess 2144	[29[13].R&B; Chart][written by Trevor Lawrence,Gabriel Mekler,C.C. Williamson][produced by Gabriel Mekler]
Leave Your Hat On/Only A Fool	Etta James	03.1974	-	-	Chess 2148	[76[5].R&B; Chart][written by Randy Newman][produced by Gabriel Mekler]
Out On The Street, Again/Feeling Uneasy	Etta James	08.1974	-	-	Chess 2153	[84[3].R&B; Chart][written by G. Mekler, T. Lawrence][produced by Gabriel Mekler]
Jump Into Love/I've Been A Fool	Etta James	07.1976	-	-	Chess 31001	[92[2].R&B; Chart][written by Dennis Bellfield, Ron Stockert][produced by Mike Terry]
Piece of my heart	Etta James	06.1978	-	-	-	[written by Bert Berns,Jerry Ragavoy][produced by Jerry Wexler][93[3].R&B; Chart]
I just want to make love to you/Stormy Weather	Etta James	02.1996	5[15]		MCA MCSTD 48 003[UK]	[silver-UK][written by Willie Dixon][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess]
At last	Etta James	09.2010	39[11]		MCA MIUCT 4605[UK]	[written by Harry Warren,Mack Gordon][produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess]

Albumy
Tytu³	Wykonawca	Data wydania	UK	US	Wytwórnia [US]	Komentarz
At last!	Etta James	08.1961	-	68[12]	Argo LPS 4003	[produced by Leonard Chess,Phil Chess]
Etta James sings top ten	Etta James	08.1963	-	117[4]	Argo LPS 4025	[produced by Leonard Chess]
Etta James rocks the house	Etta James	02.1964	-	96[10]	Argo LPS 4032	[produced by Leonard Chess, Etta James]
Tell mama	Etta James	03.1968	-	82[13]	Cadet LPS 802	[produced by Rick Hall]
Etta James	Etta James	09.1973	-	154[9]	Chess 50 042	[produced by Gabriel Mekler]
Let's Roll	Etta James	05.2003	-	195[1]	RCA Victor Group	[produced by Etta James, Josh Sklair, Donto Metto James, Sametto James]
Enduring Soul	Etta James	07.2005	-	58[1]	Hear Music
At Last: The Best of Etta James	Etta James	02.2012	22[6]	-	Decca 5330843