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.
Dream
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dream that's the thing to do
Just watch the smoke rings rise in the air
And I know you'll find your child memories there
So dream when the day is through
Oh, dream and they might come true
And things never are as bad as they seem
Dream when you're feeling blue
And ooh, dream, that's the thing to do
And just watch the smoke rings rise in the air
And I know and I know
You'll find your share of memories there
So dream when the day is through
Oh, dream and they might come true
Ooh, things never are as bad as they seem
So come on and dream, dream, oh, dream
Yeah, dream, dream, dream, oh, dream
The song "Dream" by Etta James is a soothing and uplifting tune encouraging listeners to dream when feeling down or overwhelmed. The song starts by saying that when one is feeling blue or sad, the best thing to do is to dream. Dreaming can take you to a better place where all your troubles seem to fade away. The lyrics suggest watching smoke rings rise in the air and finding your child memories there. This could represent a simpler time in one's life when things were worry-free.
The second verse continues to encourage listeners to dream and promises that dreams might come true. It highlights the fact that things are never as bad as they seem, and we should not give up hope. The song's overall message is one of hope and resilience. Whatever struggles one may face, dreaming can provide a momentary escape and create a positive outlook on life.
Overall, "Dream" is a beautiful and calming song that provides comfort and encouragement through difficult times. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, and the melody is moving and soothing. Etta James's soulful delivery makes the song even more memorable and timeless.
Line by Line Meaning
Dream when you're feeling blue
Allow yourself to escape your current unhappiness with dreams and imagination.
Dream that's the thing to do
The act of dreaming is a powerful tool for coping with life's challenges.
Just watch the smoke rings rise in the air
Meditate on the beauty of simple things and allow yourself to become lost in thought.
And I know you'll find your child memories there
The memories we hold as children are often the purest, happiest and most comforting.
So dream when the day is through
Let your dreams guide you in your moments of quietude, after the daily ruckus is over.
Oh, dream and they might come true
Through persistent dreaming, hopes and desires can come to fruition.
And things never are as bad as they seem
Putting things into the larger perspective of life proves that everything is always not as gloomy as it appears to be.
So dream, dream, dream
Concluding on an optimistic note to inspire listeners to be hopeful to overcome life's struggles using the power of imagination.
Lyrics © PFIVE Entertainment Mexico, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Pietro Paolo Pelandi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Madena Bennett
How anyone could give this a thumbs down is beyond me..... This is a gorgeous song
Dan Celli
WHO CARES, WE KNOW BETTER. I GET A GOOD CHILL WHEN I HEAR HER HERE. GREAT ORCHESTRA ARRANGEMENT .
Emiliano Lizárraga Mendoza
She´ll be forever the best woman singer in the history; her voice, her style; she was an authentic DIVA; forever ETTA, God bless you forever
outerspaceoutpost
BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO! What a great song, sung by a great talented Lady, with a God given gift. Keep singing in heaven.
Chad Michaels
what a legend there will only be 1 and 1 only etta james....
P dibelardino
10th time listening to this today , i cant get enough Etta, RIP
Music Boxfan
I wonder if this version is available on CD? I've got another version and it's a bit more polished but I like this one much better! iTunes here I come.....
Donnie Mrkacek
a heavenly gift
djdeitch
Etta belts out this old classic tune..good stuff,.ktf.
PIETRO 85
Rest In Peace Etta!!!