James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California, on 25th January 1938, to an unmarried fourteen-year-old mother, Dorothy Hawkins. According to Etta, her mother claimed that her father was the white Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, and that they received financial support from him on the condition that they keep his paternity a secret. This seems unlikely, though it has not been definitively disproved. Etta was born in Los Angeles in 1938. At the time, Wanderone was known to be managing a pool hall in Washington, D.C. and had not yet become known to be the cross-country traveller he later became.
She received her first professional vocal training at five years old from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir at St Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Her family moved to San Francisco in 1950, and she teamed up with two other girls to form a doo-wop singing group. When the girls were fourteen, band leader Johnny Otis had them audition. They sang an answer to Hank Ballard's "Work with Me, Annie" called "Roll Wwth Me Henry". Otis particularly liked the song, and against her mother's wishes, James and the trio went to Los Angeles to record the song in 1954. The song was recorded on the label Modern Records. By this time, the trio renamed the song "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)" and released it in 1955. James named her vocal group The Peaches. Richard Berry, a Los Angeles doo-wop luminary, is featured on some of their records.
"The Wallflower" reached number two on the rhythm and blues charts in February 1955, but was undercut in the wider market by a rushed-out cover version by Georgia Gibbs on Mercury Records; in fact, the very first time Gibbs was recorded in studio, they used the first take recorded and it became number one on the top 100 songs nationally. The song's royalties were divided between Hank Ballard, Etta James, and Johnny Otis, and its huge success attracted the attention of the R&B world, resulting in James going on tour with Little Richard. On the tour, though, according to James, she witnessed and experienced situations to which minors are not usually privy, and she allegedly acquired a drug habit.
Soon after the success of "Wallflower", The Peaches and James parted company, but this did not halt her career. Shecontinued to record and release albums throughout much of the decade, and enjoyed more success. Her follow-up, "Good Rockin' Daddy", became another fifties hit. Other songs however, such as "Tough Lover" and "W-O-M-A-N" failed to gain any significant success. James toured with Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Otis Redding in the fifties, and has cited Watson as the most significant influence on her style..
In 1960, James signed a recording contract with Chess Records. She went on to have the biggest success of her career from this label, recording her biggest and most memorable hits. Chess went into high gear with James, releasing many duets with her then boyfriend, the married Harvey Fuqua, who was the lead singer of the Moonglows. One of her duets with Fuqua, "If I Can't Have You", became a hit on the R&B charts in 1960. As a solo artist however, she had more enduring success. One of her first singles released by Chess in 1960 was called "All I Could Do Was Cry"; this blues number became a big hit on the R&B charts in 1960. Leonard Chess, one of the founders of Chess Records, helped James along the way. He saw the potential for her to go in a more pop-oriented direction, and she started recording more pop tunes for the label.
The year 1961 became a year of great change for James. In 1961 came the release of one of her first pop-oriented tunes called "At Last". The song became a big hit in 1961, reaching number two on the R&B charts. The song even went as far as twenty-two on the pop charts that year. It became her signature song. Other songs, such as "Trust in Me", also became hits, and the 1962 tune "Something's Got a Hold On Me" showed more of James' gospel side, a genre she had sung since childhood.
She had other big hits in the 1960s, but mainly on the R&B charts: the song "Pushover" in 1963 and "Stop the Wedding", "Fool That I Am", and "Don't Cry Baby", were hits for her between 1961 and 1963. Her 1963 album Etta James Rocks the House, recorded at Nashville's "New Era" club, also gave her career a boost. James then became one of the most successful R&B artists of the 1960s, having many more top ten and top twenty hit singles. Performing in Memphis, Tennessee helped make her into a blues icon.
In 1967, James released her next hit single, "Tell Mama", and it became a top ten hit on the R&B charts. After a dry period of no hits for almost four years, the song once more made James a household name. The follow-up, "Security", was also a success, and proved that James had staying power on the charts again. Whilst less success came for James after this hit, she was still on the charts regularly and, despite the death of Leonard Chess, stayed with the Chess label into 1975. Towards the end of the Chess years though, she went into more rock-based songs. She recorded for many other labels, and continued to release albums, such as 1978's Deep In the Night on Atlantic Records.
Despite a dry period during the early to mid 1980s, James got back on track and began to record music again. She received accolades for her 1981 rendition of Randy Newman's "God's Song". Her 1988 album Seven Year Itch proved this comeback capability; the album showed more of her soul side. In 1989, she recorded the song "Avenue D" with David A. Stewart of Eurythmics. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the Robert Wise film Rooftops. She also performed with the Grateful Dead for two shows in 1982. In the 1990s she continued to record and perform. Her albums widely varied in styles and genres. Her 1992 album, The Right Time, was another soul album that was released by Elektra Records. She also began to record more jazz, which became the style for many of her 1990s albums.
Drug-related and romantic problems interfered with her career, but James managed to maintain a career throughout the latter half of the twentieth century. Later in life, she struggled with obesity, experiencing mobility and knee problems. In 2003, she underwent gastric bypass surgery.
In 2011, a vocal sample from Etta's "Something's Got a Hold on Me" was used in "Levels" by Avicii. "Levels" became a monster EDM hit, making Etta's "sometimes I get a good feeling" one of the most recognizable samples in 21st century music.
She died on 20th January 2012.
Do Right Woman Do Right Man
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And nobody can make me do wrong
Take me for granted, leaving love unsure
Makes will power weak and temptation strong
A woman's only human
You should understand
She's not just a plaything
If you want a do-right-all-day woman
You've got to be a do-right-all-night man
They say that it's a man's world
Well you can improve that by me
And as long as we're together baby
Show some respect for me
A woman's only human
You should understand
She's not just a plaything
She's flesh and blood just like her man
If you want a do-right-all-day woman
You've got to be a do-right-all-night man
The song "Do Right Woman Do Right Man" by Etta James is a powerful message about the importance of mutual respect and fidelity in a relationship. The lyrics suggest that taking someone for granted can weaken one's willpower and make temptation stronger. James urges her partner to understand that women are not just playthings but are flesh and blood like men. She insists that if a man wants a woman who will do right by him all day long, he must be willing to do right by her all night long.
The opening lines of the song set the stage for what is to come. James sings, "Take me to heart and I'll always love you, and nobody can make me do wrong." This suggests that she is willing to be faithful and committed to her partner, but she must feel respected and valued in return. The idea that nobody can make her do wrong reinforces the notion that she is her own person with her own agency and must be treated accordingly.
The middle of the song speaks directly to men, telling them that they have the power to improve the world for women. James sings, "They say that it's a man's world, well you can improve that by me." She implies that by treating women with respect and decency, men can help create a better world for everyone. The final lines of the song reinforce the central theme of mutual respect and responsibility, with James insisting that if a man wants a woman who will do right by him, he must be willing to do right by her.
Overall, the song is a powerful statement about the importance of mutual respect and fidelity in a relationship. James's soulful voice and emotive delivery make the message all the more powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me to heart and I'll always love you
If you love me to the core of your heart, I will love you forever
And nobody can make me do wrong
No one can influence me to do something morally or ethically wrong
Take me for granted, leaving love unsure
If you don't value me or my feelings, our love will be unstable
Makes will power weak and temptation strong
Neglecting the relationship weakens the will power to resist temptation and makes it stronger
A woman's only human
Women are not perfect, but they deserve to be respected, loved and understood
You should understand
It's important to realize and appreciate a woman's worth and her role in the relationship
She's not just a plaything
Women are not objects to be used and discarded, they are human beings who deserve respect and dignity
She's flesh and blood just like her man
Women are not inferior or superior to men, they are equal in their humanity
If you want a do-right-all-day woman
If you want a woman who is honest, faithful and committed to the relationship
You've got to be a do-right-all-night man
Then you have to be a man who is equally honest, faithful and committed to the relationship
They say that it's a man's world
Society is dominated by men and their perspectives and values
Well you can improve that by me
By being with me, you can change that perception and attitude towards women
And as long as we're together baby
As long as we are together, we can achieve anything and overcome any obstacle
Show some respect for me
Treat me with respect, dignity and fairness as an equal partner in the relationship
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Chips Moman, Dan Penn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
m
I love this version, so intense and strong ❤
Sheroderick Johnson
This is a good version of the song also. Seems Etta was putting her feelings into the song. I like her tone and attitude on this.
Nikola Marshall
I got to see her in San Franciso when I was 18. She changed my life and I'm not kidding.
Wolf251982
Classic!
SELA LISA
Firme Rola Etta James 👌👌👍👍🎼🎵🎶🎵🎵🎼🎼Ty For sharing
Bamaboompa
Amazing that the Swampers did this and Aretha's version too.
Wolf251982
Jamesetta Hawkins
Etta James
January / 25 / 1938 – January / 20 / 2012
Rest In Peace
countrychess
J' aime bien cette version là mais j' ai un petit penchant pour celle de Joe Tex.
SoulSir
R.I.P. Soul-Sista. p.s. Nice rendition.
Ujima Jame
The crown, however, goes to Dionne Warwick, then Martha Reeves for their covers - other females who covered this include Whitney Houston's lackluster cover as well as Gladys Knight's version along with Martina McBride and Estelle, and the duo Mary J Blige did with Aretha. All except Dionne and Martha's could have been better. (Etta I put third because it took her a minute to get into it - I feel if she or Gladys had given it one more take, they would have tore it up!)