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.
I Sing The Blues
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There ain't nothing baby that I wouldn't do for you.
If you want it bad enough it's catch-as-catch-can.
Oh, when I want it hard enough, you'll be my man.
While I sing the blues.
I sing the blues.
I sing the blues.
My daddy sang the blues to my mamma.
Yeah!
I sing the blues.
I sing the blues to you.
I sing the blues.
If you want to talk about it.
I'll hang around.
If you want to fight about it.
Come on and let's get down.
I'll tell you what I'm thinking.
If you wanna know
I'll tell where I'm going if I want you to go.
Baby and I sing the blues.
I sing the blues.
And I sing the blues.
Early in the morning honey I sing the blues.
My daddy sang the blues to my mamma.
And baby I'll sing the low down dirty blues to you.
Baby alright!
(Harmonica solo)
I'll do anything that you want me to do.
Yeah!
There ain't nothing baby I wouldn't do for you.
If you want it bad enough it's catch-as-catch-can.
Oh, when I want it hard enough you'll be my man.
Well I sing the blues.
I sing the blues.
I sing the blues.
Late in the midnight
Midnight hour.
My daddy sang the blues to my mamma.
Yeah!
I sing the blues
I sing the blues to you.
Late in the...
Late in alright honey.
And I sing the blues.
I sing the blues all night long.
Early in the morning.
Late in the midnight.
I sing the blues.
With my Daddy must have sang the blues to your mamma
He must have sang it all night long
I sing the blues
Low down dirty sing the blues to you.
In the song "I Sing The Blues", Etta James describes her willingness to do anything for her significant other. She declares that there is nothing she wouldn't do for him, and she is willing to stick around and fight for their relationship. However, she also states that her desire for him is catch-as-catch-can, meaning that it only happens when it happens. She knows that when she wants him hard enough, he will be hers. The central theme of the song is her love for blues music, which she inherited from her father. James carries on her father's legacy by singing the blues to her lover in the middle of the night.
The lyrics of "I Sing The Blues" can be seen as a representation of the powerful and dynamic influence that blues music has had on African American culture. The blues is a genre of music that comes from the experiences of Black people in the United States, particularly those who were enslaved. The lyrics of the song are an example of how the music was used as a tool of communication, as well as a means of celebrating the joys and expressing the sorrows of life.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll do anything that you want me to do.
I am willing to do anything that you desire me to do.
There ain't nothing baby that I wouldn't do for you.
There is nothing that I wouldn't accomplish for you, my love.
If you want it bad enough it's catch-as-catch-can.
If you earnestly want it, you'll have to strive for it.
Oh, when I want it hard enough, you'll be my man.
When I ardently yearn for someone, he'll become my beloved and consort.
While I sing the blues.
I express my sorrowful feelings through music.
I sing the blues.
I vocalize about my sadness.
Late in the midnight hour.
During the late hours of the night.
My daddy sang the blues to my mamma.
My father used to sing melancholic songs to my mother.
Yeah!
An expression of agreement or affirmation.
I sing the blues to you.
I perform about my melancholy to you, my love.
If you want to talk about it.
If you want to discuss it with me.
I'll hang around.
I'll stay close and wait for you.
If you want to fight about it.
If you want to quarrel regarding it.
Come on and let's get down.
Come on, and let's start wrangling.
I'll tell you what I'm thinking.
I'll let you know my thoughts.
If you wanna know.
If you desire to comprehend.
I'll tell where I'm going if I want you to go.
I'll inform you about where I'm heading if I want you to accompany me.
Baby and I sing the blues.
My love and I perform about our sadness.
And I sing the blues.
And I express my melancholy.
Early in the morning honey I sing the blues.
During the early hours of the morning, I croon about my sorrowful emotions.
Baby alright!
My love, do you agree?
(Harmonica solo)
A musical interlude featuring a harmonica.
Well I sing the blues.
I sing about my sorrow.
Late in the midnight.
During the late hours of the night.
Midnight hour.
The late hours of the night.
Late in alright honey.
It's late, my honey.
And I sing the blues.
I vocalize about my melancholy.
I sing the blues all night long.
I sing mournful melodies throughout the night.
With my Daddy must have sang the blues to your mamma.
Your father must have sung melancholic songs to your mother, just like mine.
He must have sang it all night long.
He must have sung these sorrowful songs all throughout the night.
I sing the blues.
I vocalize about my sadness.
Low down dirty sing the blues to you.
I sing about my most decrepit, scandalous emotions to you, my love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Earl Bridgeman, Philip Wootten
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tisha Angelou
I will never get over the fact that I was born too late (I’m 15) to see classical musicians live in concert. I love songs like these! ❤️
Bella Legosi
This woman was so amazingly talented! She is one of very very few who made it to old age. Her work is highly underrated, IMO
Felipe de Jesus Saucedo Flores
Que canción!!! Estupenda interpretación de una de las cantantes más importantes del blues. RIP ETTA JAMES.
catherine ortiz
i love the way she put her whole being into everything she sang ,go MISS ETTA sing the blues ,like no nobody else can do
Jackie Rave
Thank you for posting this.. she's incredible.. love her..
Cameron Blanchard
🔥🔥🔥🔥
Who is listening this in 2020
This voice is fantastic
1:50 💯🖤💛
👇💛
Luna Azule
I'm listening 2021. Would love to have her voice.
Teddy Bear
One my favorite songs and artists
doreen jordan
Just discovered! I'm s bit of a diva, anthem singer, getting on in years & found a new outlet. Outstanding x
Crafted Warrior MC
i am