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.
Down Home Blues
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you know, what's goin' through my mind
Do you mind if I get comfortable and kick of these shoes?
While you're fixin' me a drink
Play me some of them down home blues
You know, I don't get out much on the town
And you know, I done cut out a lot of that runnin' around
But tonight I'm lettin' my hair down
And get down with these down home blues
Down home blues, down home blues
All I wanna hear is these down home blues
All night long, every other record or two
Now take off those fast jams
And let me hear some down home blues, alright
You know my ol' man is gonna wanna fight
Because of the hour I'll be getting in tonight, I don't care
Tonight I'm gonna do without you
I'm gonna get my head real bang
And party off of these down home blues, hey, hey yeah
Down home blues, down home blues
And all I wanna hear is those down home blues
All night long, every other record or two
I say, I'm gonna get my head real bang
And party off of these down home, home blues
Yeah, yeah, yeah, down home blues
The song "Down Home Blues" by Etta James is a celebration of a night out on the town, spent dancing to slow blues music. In the first verse, the singer is at a party and thinking about how much she wants to hear some slow, "down home" blues music. She asks if she can kick off her shoes and get comfortable while someone fixes her a drink, setting the scene for a relaxed, enjoyable night. She remarks that she doesn't go out much and has been keeping busy all week, but tonight she's ready to let loose and dance to the slow, soulful sound of the blues.
The singer tells the DJ to skip the fast-paced music and play more slow blues, even though she knows her partner may get mad that she's out so late. She's willing to take the risk and stay out all night, reveling in the pleasure of the music. The song is a tribute to the freedom and joy that music can bring, especially when it's the heartfelt, down-home sound of the blues. An upbeat tune with a strong, classic rhythm that will get you dancing, the song captures the excitement of a night out with friends, full of music, laughter, and a little bit of trouble.
Line by Line Meaning
You say, your party's jumpin', everybody's havin' a good time
You are informing me that your party is exciting and everyone is having fun
And you know, what's goin' through my mind
You understand that I'm curious about something and wondering what it is
Do you mind if I get comfortable and kick off these shoes?
Can I please relax and remove my shoes?
While you're fixin' me a drink
As you make me a cocktail
Play me some of them down home blues
Please put on some authentic blues music
You know, I don't get out much on the town
I rarely attend social events
And you know, I done cut out a lot of that runnin' around
I have stopped doing a lot of wild activities
All week long, I've been keepin' my cool
I have been calm and composed all week
But tonight I'm lettin' my hair down
Tonight I am going to loosen up and enjoy myself
And get down with these down home blues
I am going to dance to this soulful blues music
All I wanna hear is these down home blues
I only want to listen to authentic blues music
All night long, every other record or two
Throughout the night, I would like to hear blues music played between other songs
Now take off those fast jams
Stop playing energetic, upbeat songs
And let me hear some down home blues, alright
Please play some original and raw blues music, okay?
You know my ol' man is gonna wanna fight
My partner is going to be upset with me
Because of the hour I'll be getting in tonight, I don't care
I am not concerned about the time that I will arrive home
Tonight I'm gonna do without you
I am going to have a good time without my partner
I'm gonna get my head real bang
I will loosen up and let loose
And party off of these down home blues, hey, hey yeah
I will celebrate and dance to the authentic blues music
Yeah, yeah, yeah, down home blues
This music fills me with passion and excitement
Contributed by Samantha L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Erik brodland
on I Just Want to Make Love to You
Love this song so much, it makes me think of my son's Beautiful mommy jasmin and her amazing.voice.