Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938, in Los Angeles, California, to a 14-year-old mother, Dorothy Hawkins. By the time Etta was the age of 5 she was known as a gospel prodigy.She gained fame by singing in her church choir and on the radio. Around the age of 12, she moved north to San Francisco, where she formed a trio and was soon working for Johnny Otis, the groups bandleader. Later, in 1954, after four years, she moved to Los Angeles to record “The Wallflower” the Otis band. She signed with Chicago’s Chess Records in 1960 and continued working with Chess throughout the 1960s and early ’70s. By the time she was 21 she Etta had become a heroin addict, eventually causing it to be difficult to balance her habit with her career. Along with the negative changes of her behavior due to her drug addiction she also began clashing with her producers at Chess as well as fought to be paid her royalties, and having to deal with multiple abusive romantic relationships. Before,she began recording with producer Rick Hall at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1967, her career had taken a downfall .”Tell Mama” and “I’d Rather Go Blind” allowed her to jump back on to the R&B charts. Her album Etta James (1973) earned a Grammy nomination, with thanks to combination of rock and funk sounds. Etta James was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1993 and soon after signed a new recording contract with Private Records. “In 2003, James underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost over 200 pounds. The dramatic weight loss had an impact on her voice.”
