Etta James, whose blend of blues, soul and jazz made her one of the most distinctive voices of the past half-century, has died after a struggle with leukemia. She was 73.
Best known for the 1961 hit single “At Last,” the L.A. native was one the signature voices of Chess Records. After starting with doo-wop vocal groups, she enjoyed her first solo first hit, “The Wallflower (Dance with Me Henry).” It went to number-two on the Billboard R&B chart in 1955, but was considered too provocative to cross over to pop radio. Held in high esteem by a wide range of artists, Etta was ranked number-22 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists.
Beyonce played a fictionalized version of James in the movie Cadillac Records, which was based on the history of the Chess label. But Marshall Chess strongly denied that his father and James ever had a sexual relationship.
A six-time Grammy winner, Etta James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. –Mike McCann
