She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. I seriously enjoyed reading it, you Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. That year, James's influence was everywhere, with avariety of black female singers (including Turner, Gladys Knight and Candi Staton) employing her defiant, abrasive vocal style. Two of her early songs have been given Grammy Hall of Fame Awards for "qualitative or historical significance": "At Last", in 1999,[72] and "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)" in 2008. Described as a soul enigma by MOJO magazine in 2002, Jordan has had a fascinating musical career of his own. Legendary soul singer Etta James dead at 73 | Fox News He wrote that James had her first hit single when she was 15 years old and went steady with B.B. The Hollywood Blues: "Cadillac Records" | Vanity Fair This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Adrien, who played Leonard Chess, is considered to be one of the greatest male actors in the entertainment world. In 1989, she signed with Island Records and with them released the albums Seven Year Itch and Stickin' to My Guns, both of which were produced by Barry Beckett and recorded at FAME Studios. He is portrayed by Rob Morrow on CMT's drama series titled Sun Records. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Chess Records, whose founder, Leonard Chess, called James their first soul singer, she wrote. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Her first hit singles with Fuqua were "If I Can't Have You" and "Spoonful". Is the movie Cadillac Records based on a true story? In 1995 James recorded Mystery Lady, the first in a series of jazz vocal albums where she channelled the influence of Billie Holiday. [citation needed] In her autobiography, she noted how impressed she was with the young singer's manners. Leonard and his brother Phil became involved in the black nightclub scene on the South Side of Chicago in 1938 running a series of jazz clubs, culminating in the Macomba Lounge. James knew Malcolm X and was a member of the Nation of Islam for around 10 years, taking the name Jamesetta X. After leaving treatment, however, her substance abuse continued, particularly after she developed a relationship with a man who was also using drugs. Most notable are the growly, hulking Howlin' Wolf, blues-gone-pop belter Etta James and country-tinged rock-and-roller Chuck Berry. These sessions yielded her comeback hit "Tell Mama", co-written by Clarence Carter, which reached number ten on the R&B chart and number twenty-three for pop. Etta James: The Early Years - JazzTimes Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. He also takes issue with the onscreen love affair between Leonard and Etta James. It never happened. He even asked James, a longtime friend, and she told him, He kissed me on the cheek once.. In April 2009, at the age of 71, James made her final television appearance, performing "At Last" on the program Dancing with the Stars. Janis Joplin modelled her singing closely on James and covered Tell Mama. The film stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, Cedric the Entertainer . The Impact of Chess Records - Black Music Scholar A raunchy answer song to Ballards equally suggestive Work With Me Annie, the track was considered too racy for mainstream radio airplay. Rage to Survive, James's autobiography, was published in 1995 and proved as blistering as her singing. (portrayed by Alessandro Nivola)[14] which are also fictional accounts of the ascent (and descent) of the label itself and the personnel who were involved or recorded at Chess Records. 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.. Become a member to support the independent voice of Dallas James became a natural replacement for Joplin after the latter's death in 1970. Something's Got a Hold on Me - Wikipedia James had been at Chess Records since 1960 and Leonard Chess wanted her to record a new album for his Cadet Records subsidiary. Once you indulge yourself in her life, you quickly comprehend the fierce spirit, complexities and facts never fully realized in the Beyonce produced film, Cadillac Records. All rights reserved. It's all too much and not enough; either make the epic the story deserves or don't bother. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Thanks for the share.. What is also in question is why writer/director, Darnell Martin would write the role of Etta James with Beyonce in mind as stated in the New York Times. [36] The film included "At Last," performed by Beyonce. Etta's crossed over!' When Leonard Chessthe founder of James's label, Chess Recordsfirst heard the song, James says, "he got up and left the room 'cause he started crying When he came back in the room, he. 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. The true story is that the man who recorded under the pseudonym Howlin Wolf was a 300-pound farmer named Chester Burnette. [54], By the mid-1960s, James was addicted to heroin. The label's many talents included Jimmy Reed, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Muddy Waters, Gene Ammons, Jimmy Rogers,. But so egregious are the deficiencies and distortions herein this universe, The Rolling Stones came to the United States and The Beach Boys ripped off Chuck Berry long before anyone had ever heard of Elvis Presleythat it's almost impossible to discern whether there's anything decent about the moviemaking itself. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 2023 James performed at the top jazz festivals in the world, such as the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1977, 1989, 1990 and 1993. Violence andsubstance abuse were now constants in James's life and she would maintain a difficult, combative relationship with her mother across many decades. On October 16, 1969, a few months after selling his namesake label to General Recorded Tape, Leonard Chess died of a heart attack. According to Marshall Chess, son of Leonard Chess, he had these words to say concerning the issue of this affair: Now, my father was no angel, but (he) was never caught in an affair, Chess said. The British pop singer Adele said that it was buying an Etta James CD when she was 13 that made her want to sing. Its also an opportunity to mention her friend and co-writer, the far less famous Ellington Fugi Jordan. James was once considered one of the most overlooked blues and R&B musicians in the music history of the United States. Where is the border between Italy and France? Money matters: Though Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) . After beginning to date Harvey Fuqua, a singer for the Moonglows, James signed with Argo Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records. [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). [3] She also received a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2003. It produced two hit singles, "Fool That I Am" and "Don't Cry Baby".[23]. James countered with a coy follow-up called Hey! So heres to both Jordan and James, and to the great song they wrote together. Rock'n'Roll (1987), opened stadium dates for the Rolling Stones and was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. [53] Both were musicians and eventually performed professionally with their mother; Donto played drums at Montreux in 1993, and Sametto played bass guitar circa 2003, among other performances and tours. What characteristics allow plants to survive in the desert? Thirty-six days after her death, her sideman Red Holloway also died.[63]. All contents The trauma of her foster father forcing her to sing under these humiliating circumstances caused her to have difficulties with singing on demand throughout her career. He took her to Sheffield, Alabama, to record at FAME Studios. Her first was in 1995, when she was awarded Best Jazz Vocal Performance for the album Mystery Lady, which consisted of covers of Billie Holiday songs. [19] The first string-laden ballad James recorded was "My Dearest Darling" in May 1960, which peaked in the top five of the R&B chart. And listening to it today seems a fitting, if inadequate, tribute to Etta James. [73] In 2003, she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Published since 1970, JazzTimesAmericas Jazz Magazineprovides comprehensive and in-depth coverage of the jazz scene. Hail! Testimonials, Shipping and Returns Policy In 1960, Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins), a moody singer with a contralto voice as striking as the platinum-blond beehive hairdo she wore in one iconic publicity shot, joined the Chess. When, in1971, the couple were arrested in San Antonio, Texas, on narcotics charges, Mills took the fall. Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera gave musical tributes. Her 1963 album EttaJames Rocks the House was recorded live at the New Era club in Nashville and documents a formidable performer. [51][52], James had two sons, Donto James and Sametto James, born to different fathers. Once asked to describe her style, she responded that singing allowed her to vent "all this bitch shit inside of me". [5] The family name was changed to Chess, with Lejzor becoming Leonard and Fiszel becoming Philip. [20] In 1963, she had another major hit with "Pushover" and released the live album Etta James Rocks the House, recorded at the New Era Club in Nashville, Tennessee. [7] In 1950, the Chess brothers renamed the company Chess Records. "My Foolish Heart" (Gene Ammons), "Rollin' Stone" (Muddy Waters), and "That's All Right" (Jimmy Rogers) were among the first releases on the new label. In 2010, James received treatment for a dependency on painkillers. But rarely is Etta James recognized among those pioneers. and help keep the future of the Observer, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, Dallas Observer's The Morning After Brunch. In 1952, she met musician Johnny Otis who helped the band sign to Modern Records and changing their name to the Peaches and gave the singer her stage name reversing Jamesetta into Etta James. James went on to record a string of hits in the late 1950s and `60s including "Trust In Me," "Something's Got a Hold On Me," "Sunday Kind of Love," "All I Could Do Was Cry," and of course, "At Last." Chess Records, whose founder, Leonard Chess, called James their first soul singer, she wrote. Leonard S. Chess (1917-1969) - Find a Grave Memorial Now if youre looking for a name to sell movie tickets, I can definitely see the follow the money rationale. 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. Teamed with Joplin's collaborator Gabriel Meckler in 1973, James began to record rock songs: mauling the Eagles, slugging Randy Newman. She continued recording for Private Music, which released the blues album Matriarch of the Blues in 2000, on which she returned to her R&B roots. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Her husband Artis Mills accepted responsibility when they were both arrested for heroin possession, and served a 10-year prison sentence. James's continuing appeal to new generations was proved when the R&B superstar Beyonc played James in the 2008 film Cadillac Records. 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. and currently resides in Atlanta, GA as a Georgia Peach. She was buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Los Angeles County, California. Who was the singer that played Etta James? "Now, my father was no angel, but [he] was never caught in an affair," Chess said. On his release in 1981, the couple reunited. "It never happened." He even asked James, a longtime friend, and she told him, "He kissed me on the cheek once." Hail! James was a star, yet one seemingly set on self-destruction. Eventually, the two men meetduring a never-happened brawl at the Macomba, instigated by hell-raising harp player Little Walter (Columbus Short)and form a partnership, then a friendship. Glad you enjoyed it! [19] Later that same year (1960), James released a second studio album, The Second Time Around. She won six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards. They're faint echoes of classics, soulless and gutless. Though Etta had a mother figure in an older woman affectionatelynamed Mama Lu, Ettas life spiraled after her death. The life of Ms. Etta James is as fascinating as her voice, complicated as her vocal interpretations and raw as her passion. The ferocity of her voice documents a neglected child, awoman constantly entering into badrelationships and an artist raging against an industry and a society thathad routinely discriminated againsther. No wonder Martin doesn't let the audience hear more than snatches of tunessave for Knowles' three extended numbers, clearly intended to sell the soundtrack. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. In 1941, he married Revetta Sloan who was also Jewish; they had three children: son Marshall, daughter Pam, and another son Kevin. Since 1989 (notably rather late in her career, after nearly thirty years of prior recording), James has received over 30 awards and recognitions from eight different organizations, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum[64] and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences which organizes the Grammys.[65]. In a world filled with smoke and mirrors, it always inspires me to see and experience artists who exude a powerful sense of truth. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has We calculated our top 40 new releases of 2022 We calculated our top 10 historical/reissue You never quite knew what Chicago bassist Kelly Sill was going to play (or what he was going to say). The song reached No 1 on the R&B charts (while Georgia Gibbs's bland cover went to No 1 in the pop charts). Leonard Chess (March 12, 1917 October 16, 1969) was an American record company executive and the co-founder of Chess Records. 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. Her first solo hit was the doo-wopstyled rhythm-and-blues song "All I Could Do Was Cry", which was a number two R&B hit. About Etta James Leonard invested in Aristocrat Records and eventually asked his brother to invest with him. Just 52 years old, the elder brother had died of a heart attack in his car less than two blocks from the Chess headquarters. The album took the same direction as her first, covering jazz and pop standards and with strings on many of the songs. [1][2][3][4] He and his brother, Fiszel, sister, Malka, and mother arrived in New York in 1928 from Poland. 19381959: Childhood and career beginnings, 19601978: Chess and Warner Brothers years, Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, "Etta James Hospitalized, Tour Suspended", "Etta James | American singer | Britannica", "The 35 Greatest R&B Artists Of All Time", "Etta James: Acclaimed Soul Singer Who Fought to Overcome Her Personal Demons", "Nashville's smoldering R&B; scene where Jimi Hendrix 'learned to play' was invisible to Music City", "Taters, and Other Fascinating People: NO QUARTER", "Talent on Stage: Richard Pryor, Etta James", "Happy Birthday Etta James: Grateful Dead Sit-In On New Year's 1982", "Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Opening Ceremony Complete", "Playboy Jazz Festival Historical Highlights", "North Sea Jazz program archive | NN North Sea Jazz Festival", "Beyonce to Portray Legendary Blues Singer Etta James in 'Cadillac Records', "Etta James Says Rip on Beyonce Was a Joke", "Hospitalized Etta James Battling Alzheimer's, Infection, Son Says", "Etta James Remembered by will.i.am, Hayley Williams", "Rhythm & Blues Foundation Preserving America's Soul", "Interview: Shinedown Vocalist Inspired by Chris Cornell, Otis Redding", "100 Greatest Artists of All Time:Etta James", "Etta James, the husky-voiced R&B singer, dies at 73", "Etta James' husband, sons battle over money for her care", "James pours heart, soul into set To the 'Last', "Remembering Etta James, Stunning Singer", "Etta James Faces New Cort Action In Los Angeles", "Son says singer Etta James changes hospitals", "Etta James' estate settled in wake of terminally ill diagnosis", "Etta James Dies at 73; Voice Behind 'At Last', "Highly regarded L.A. tenor, alto saxophonist played with A-list stars", "Singer Etta James Displays Her Star With U S Nieuwsfoto's | Getty Images Nederland | 1939332", "Recording Academy Honors Etta James, Simon & Garfunkel, Alan Lomax | News", "The Blues Foundation: About The Blues Foundation", "The Blues Foundation: Past Blues Music Awards", Burnin' Down the House: Live at the House of Blues, Miss Etta James: The Complete Modern and Kent Recordings, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Etta_James&oldid=1149759960, African-American women singer-songwriters, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, 21st-century African-American women singers, 20th-century African-American women singers, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2021, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, In 2006, James received the Billboard R&B Founders Award, This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 07:52. Leonard Chess played bass drum on one of Muddy Waters' sessions in 1951, specifically on the tracks "She Moves Me" and "Still A Fool".[8]. Roll With Me Henry was retitled The Wallflower Modern Records decided the original title was too explicit and Otis renamed his protege Etta James. First, a key spoiler: Cadillac Records is not the story of Chess Records, the blues label started in Chicago in 1950 by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess that featured among its stable of. Stories on how they met vary. Photograph: Sherry Rayn Barnett/Getty Images, Etta James: 'I was like a punker I'd spit in a minute' a classic interview from the vaults, Etta James - famous fans pay tribute on Twitter, Etta James to undergo court-ordered medical exam. He said Id gotten all my moral values from Mama Lu, but I never knew a normal life.And then when Mama Lu died and Dorothy snatched me away, everything went haywire., While there was a number of other omissions such as the exclusion of Leonard Chesss brother, co-founder and partner Phil Chess, the question still stands, why were these truths never told? [12], James frequently performed in Nashville's famed R&B clubs on the so-called "Chitlin' Circuit" in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.[13]. Cadillac Records Gets Nothing Right, Especially the Facts About Chess James ventured into rock and funk with the release of her self-titled album in 1973, with production from the famed rock producer Gabriel Mekler, who had worked with Steppenwolf and Janis Joplin. Though the record was not as successful as expected, her rendition has become the best-known version of the song. In Otis's version, she came to his hotel after one of his performances in the city and persuaded him to audition her. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. [74][75], The members of the Blues Foundation, a nonprofit organization set up in Memphis, Tennessee, to foster the blues and its heritage,[76] have nominated James for a Blues Music Award nearly every year since its founding in 1980; and she received some form of Blues Female Artist of the Year award 14 times since 1989, continuously from 1999 to 2007. independent local journalism in Dallas. 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. Just 52 years old, the elder brother had died of a heart attack in his car less than two blocks from the Chess headquarters. Well, thats a good question especially when Ms. Jamess book was published in 1995, 13 years before the release of the movie, Cadillac Records. Typically, whenever the subject of the early architects of rock n roll arises, names like Howlin Wolf, Big Joe Turner, Hank Ballard, Bo Diddley and Big Mama Thornton are bandied about. Hope is known for her creativity, sense of humor and quirky perfectionism. (You can hear his own, more psychedelic take on the song, called Id Rather Be a Blind Man, on YouTube.) With that said, it greatly disappoints me that in light of her authenticity, this truth has failed to be depicted on the screens of Hollywood. 2 What did Etta James say about Leonard Chess? Fabrications in the name of movie myth-making are, of course, to be expected from a genre that demands condensing lives into a handful of Defining Episodes; all biopics reduce and trivialize. In 2003, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. According to Marshall Chess, son of Leonard Chess, he had these words to say concerning the issue of this affair: "Now, my father was no angel, but (he) was never caught in an affair," Chess said. In time, Chess begins assembling his pieces: Howlin' Wolf, played with almost cartoonish ferocity by Eamonn Walker; Dixon, who here comes off as nothing more than a sideman; Chuck Berry, rendered as a savvy country boy who liked to show gals his ding-a-ling in the backseat of his car; and James, who already had a career before Chess signed the tormented torch singer in 1960, not that you'd know it here. The true story is that in 1928, Lejzor and Fiszel Czy moved to the U.S. with the rest of their family from a small village named Motal in what's Belarus today. Presley died a year later. [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". Still, the parade of famous faces playing famous faces overstuffs the movie with subjects deserving of features but instead treated as footnotes. What did Etta James say about Leonard Chess? But in this version of the taletold in flashback, with overwrought narration provided by Cedric the Entertainer as Chess producer, session musician and house songwriter Willie Dixonthere is no Phil Chess, only Leonard, played by an actor, Adrien Brody, who, with his anachronistically tousled hair and Forever Fonzie wardrobe, looks as much like Leonard Chess as he does, well, Howlin' Wolf. It was, instead, the wailing Good Rockin Daddy, co-written by Richard Berry (who can be heard singing counterpoint on Roll With Me Henry) and Joe Bihari (who, with his brother Jules, owned Modern Records) that earned James her second major hit. Chess Records movie duel Part 2: Fact vs. fiction
Boston University Early Decision Notification Date,
Tailbone Pain Cancer Symptoms,
Tufts Parking Tickets,
Alinta Energy Sustainability Report 2020,
Homes For Rent $500 Or Less In Jefferson, Ga,
Articles L
