Auckland Blues Club

Born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles on 25th January, 1938, Etta began singing in church at age 5 and launched a professional music career while still in her early teens.

In 1955 she teamed up with producer/musician/ bandleader/talent scout Johnny Otis to release "The Wallflower" which rose to number 1 in the Rhythm & Blues charts.

In 1960 she signed with the Chess label's subsidiary Argo Records where some of her most beloved hits were released.

Some of Etta's career highlights included opening for the Rolling Stones, winning Grammy and Handy Awards, singing the national anthem at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and being inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1993 that unquestionably solidified her stature as a true music legend.

In 2008 the movie Cadillac Records featured Beyoncé portraying the Etta James character during the Chess Records years.
Beyoncé's version of Etta's "At Last' from that movie would win a Grammy.

The last few years found Etta dealing with many health issues including blood infection and leukemia, and she passed away on 20th January, 2012.
Through all of her trials and tribulations, Etta James will remembered for all time as a singer who, perhaps better than anyone else, could become the song.