Etta James (1938-2012) was a U.S. blues, soul, R&B, rock & roll, and jazz … Read Full Bio ↴Etta James (1938-2012) was a U.S. blues, soul, R&B, rock & roll, and jazz singer and songwriter. She is the winner of four Grammies, seventeen Blues Music Awards, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (in 1993), the Blues Hall of Fame (in 2001), and the Grammy Hall of Fame (in both 1999 and 2008).

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.

That's All
Etta James Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now come here baby, get ready to go
'Cause I'm in the mood to rock and roll
And that's all, I mean to tell you, that's all
All you have to do is rock and roll and that's all

We'll start to rockin', I don't like to stop
You better get ready to rock around the clock
And that's all, I mean to tell you, that's all

All you have to do is rock and roll and that's all

Don't worry about the time, I got plenty to spend
If the clock run down, we'll wind it up again
And that's all, I mean to tell you, that's all
All you have to do is rock and roll and that's all, yeah

You can learn everything they teach you in school
But if you can't rock and roll, you're not a fool
And that's all, I mean to tell you, that's all

All you have to do is rock and roll and that's all
All you have to do is rock and roll and that's all

Overall Meaning

In this upbeat and lively song, Etta James encourages her partner to let loose and indulge in the joy of rock and roll. With an invitation to get ready to go and a promise to keep the music going as long as needed, James sings about the pure and simple pleasure that comes from dancing and moving to a good beat. She emphasizes that rock and roll is something anyone can enjoy and doesn't require formal education or knowledge. Instead, it's a celebration of feeling and experiencing.

Through her words and delivery, James captures the infectious energy and excitement of rock and roll, inviting her listeners to join in on the fun. She acknowledges the importance of time, but also assures her partner that they can just keep rocking and rolling as long as they want, with no pressure to stop. In essence, the song is an ode to the pure and simple joy of music and movement, and a reminder to embrace life's simple pleasures.

Overall, the lyrics of "That's All" are a celebration of the power of music to bring people together and create moments of pure joy and connection. Through her words and delivery, Etta James captures the essential spirit of rock and roll and invites listeners to join in on the fun.

Line by Line Meaning

Now come here baby, get ready to go
Let's get moving and start having fun

'Cause I'm in the mood to rock and roll
I feel like dancing and enjoying the music

And that's all, I mean to tell you, that's all
All we need to do is have fun dancing to the music

All you have to do is rock and roll and that's all
Just let loose and dance to the rhythm

We'll start to rockin', I don't like to stop
Once we start dancing, we won't want to stop

You better get ready to rock around the clock
Get ready to dance all night long

Don't worry about the time, I got plenty to spend
Let's not worry about how long we dance, I have plenty of time

If the clock run down, we'll wind it up again
We can keep dancing even after time runs out

You can learn everything they teach you in school
You can learn a lot in school

But if you can't rock and roll, you're not a fool
But if you can't dance and have fun, you're missing out

All you have to do is rock and roll and that's all
Just let loose and dance to the rhythm