Oh Etta....At Last

I heard church bells ring
I heard a choir singing
I saw my love walk down the aisle
on her finger he placed a ring
Oooh oh

I saw them holding hands
She was standing there with my man
I heard them promise
Til death do us part
Each word
Was a painIn my heart

All I could do was cry
All I could do was cry
I was losing the man that I love
and all I could do was cry

All I Could Do Was Cry Etta James

Mama Peaches and The Matriarch of R&B is what she has been called. Etta James was most known for songs such as "At Last" and "All I Could Do Was Cry" I was well aware of her music thanks to my grandparents I learned more about her life from watching the 2008 biopic film Cadillac Records ( I actually think Beyonce' did a good job in that movie) anyway I was sad to hear that Etta James had passed on. But the woman was truly suffering her health had declined and at least now she is at peace.

Why We Loved Her?
This woman was a survivor she endured many adversities in her life drug addiction to heroin and abandonment issues from her father. No matter what when it came to her music Etta James gave us her all she had guts she was fierce.


What She Accomplished?  She was a versatile artist very true to her craft and bridged the gap between genres such as R&B and Rock n Roll. She won 6 Grammys, won 16 Blues Music Awards, and was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2008, was named by Rolling Stone magazine number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and ranked 62 as one of their 100 Greatest Artists of all time.



Then Again Was She Unsung?......"Thanksgiving Day in November will be my silver anniversary: 25 years since I cut my first record and I haven't become a superstar yet. It took Janis Joplin two years." Etta James Rock Pages Interview 1978, According to some music journalists she was one of the most overlooked artists until 1990s.

Clarification: FYI she actually met Beyonce' and praised her for during a good job portraying Etta in the biopic film Cadillac Records although later she made negative comments about her. Etta's son Donto revealed that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and that attributed to her comments about Beyonce.' Although Etta James was very sad that she wasn't invited to the 2009 Inaugural Ball for President Obama she wanted to perform "At Last." She said she could have done better. And I agree, as much as I love Beyonce' you can't fuck with the original. But that is what the Obamas wanted. Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver eulogy at her funeral on Saturday.

Rest in Peace Etta
Sunrise January 25, 1938-Sunset January 20, 2012