Etta James - At Last

Just a day after we heard of the death of the man who discovered her - Johnny Otis - the Vinyl Word raises a glass to Etta James, who has died aged 73. It was not unexpected. In fact, rumours of her passing have been around for months. But now it's been confirmed, and the world is a sadder place.

Etta 's career straddles rhythm and blues, soul and rock, but she is remembered most fondly for R and B classics for Modern and, later, Chess like Roll With Me Henry (with Harvey Fuqua, and produced by Johnny Otis) and Good Rockin' Daddy, and soul songs recorded in Muscle Shoals in the 1960s, including Tell Mama, I'd Rather Go Blind and Security. She had a UK hit in the 90s with I Just Want To Make Love To You which was used in a Coke ad. Her early track, At Last, was sung by Beyonce in the movie Cadillac Records and Etta was critical of Beyonce's attempt at the song at President Obama's inauguration. But by then Etta was reaching the end of her career.

I had the pleasure of seeing her perform several times over the years - the last time being at the House of Blues in New Orleans in 2008. I thought then that her material was a little disappointing and that she was below her best, but perhaps this was the start of the dementia and leukaemia that eventually led to her death. Etta had a tough life. She never knew her father and her mother was only 14 when she was born, she suffered from drug addiction and weight issues and often struggled during her career. But she was without doubt one of the greatest artists of the late 20th century. Etta - we will miss you.

Here are a couple of clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADDigK8LwyE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YApNirMC9gM

And a tribute in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jan/20/etta-james http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/jan/20/etta-james-10-classic-performances