Privacy Policy [10] Her mother was frequently absent from their apartment in Watts, conducting relationships with various men, and James lived with a series of foster parents, most notably "Sarge" and "Mama" Lu. A Christmas album, Etta James Christmas, was released in 1998. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. After an excerpt of that song was featured in a Diet Coke advertising campaign in the UK, the song again charted, reaching the top ten on the UK charts in 1996.[16]. Hail! Etta James: The Essential Modern Records Collection (Virgin/EMI) includes 15 tracks spanning 1954-57. On October 16, 1969, a few months after selling his namesake label to General Recorded Tape, Leonard Chess died of a heart attack. In fact, Phil, who was also left out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame proceedings upon Leonard's introduction as a pioneer in 1987, is never mentioned at all. A raunchy answer song to Ballards equally suggestive Work With Me Annie, the track was considered too racy for mainstream radio airplay. He was influential in the development of electric blues, Chicago blues, and rock and roll . Adrien Brody portrays Leonard Chess, left, and Jeffrey Wright portrays Muddy Waters in a scene from "Cadillac Records." (Courtesy of Sony TriStar) "Cadillac Records" is a story . 1 Did Leonard Chess really die in his car? It produced two hit singles, "Fool That I Am" and "Don't Cry Baby".[23]. FAQs Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. What are the 4 main characteristics is shared by all living things? Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 1938; her mother was just 14 years old at the time, and she never knew her father, though she would later say she had reason to believe he was the well-known pool hustler Minnesota Fats. But rarely is Etta James recognized among those pioneers. Both artists issued statements of condolence upon James's death. It does not store any personal data. But as early as 1954, James was, under the guidance of Johnny Otis, pivotal among the artists erecting musical signposts for Elvis, Jerry Lee and others who would follow. "It never happened." He even asked James, a longtime friend, and she told him, "He kissed me on the cheek once." Lejzor Szmuel Czy (March 12, 1917 October 16, 1969), best known as Leonard Sam Chess, was a Polish-American record company executive and the co-founder of Chess Records. All rights reserved. Sign in to continue reading, Christopher Loudon on the release of a new compilation of vintage material from the legendary singer. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". What happened between Etta James and Leonard Chess? The film follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's greatest Negro . In her 1995 autobiography A Rage to Survive, she said that the time she spent in the hospital changed her life. James started adding gospel elements in her music the following year, releasing "Something's Got a Hold on Me", which peaked at number four on the R&B chart and was a Top 40 pop hit. He's especially upset over how 'Cadillac Records,' a film that stars Beyonce as Etta James and Oscar-winner Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, cuts Leonard's brother, Phil, the co-founder of . local news and culture, Robert Wilonsky Like the movie shows, Howlin Wolf did sing the song Smokestack Lightnin for Chess Records. Cadillac Records is a 2008 American biographical drama film written and directed by Darnell Martin.The film explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess, and a few of the musicians who recorded for Chess Records.. [51][52], James had two sons, Donto James and Sametto James, born to different fathers. In the 1950s, Chess Records' commercial success grew with artists such as Little Walter, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, and Chuck Berry, and in the '60s with Etta James, Fontella Bass, Koko Taylor, Little Milton, Laura Lee, and Tommy Tucker, as well as with the subsidiary labels Checker, Argo, and Cadet. Just 52 years old, the elder brother had died of a heart attack in his car less than two blocks from the Chess headquarters. King when she was 16. Rock 'n' Roll.) James' enduring relevance was affirmed in 2011 when the late Swedish DJ Avicii achieved substantial chart success with the song "Levels", which samples her 1962 song "Something's Got a Hold on Me". (You can hear his own, more psychedelic take on the song, called Id Rather Be a Blind Man, on YouTube.) Like most of her tone-deaf predecessors, Martin feels the need to make the truth more entertaining and ends up desecrating the history books. Waters, recorded one day in the field by Alan Lomax (Tony Bentley), reckons he's got a future in the Big City and treads the tracks till he reaches Chicago. In particular, her song "Something's Got a Hold on Me" has been recognized in many ways. James continued to record for Chess (now owned by All Platinum Records), releasing one more album in 1976, Etta Is Betta Than Evvah! Leonard invested in Aristocrat Records and eventually asked his brother to invest with him. Born in Los Angeles, California, on January 25, 1938, Etta James was a gospel prodigy. "Shewas never there when I got off from school," James recalled, "so I could pretty much do what I wanted to do drinking, smoking weed." She was continuously in and out of rehabilitation centers, including the Tarzana Treatment Centers, in Los Angeles, California. James would go on to publicly criticize Beyonce, who was invited to perform the song at Barack Obama's inaugural ball, but later added that her critical remarks were meant to be received as a joke and stemmed from personal hurt over not having been invited to the sing the song herself for the Obama inauguration. Record Producer, Music Executive. In 1995, her autobiography, A Rage to Survive, co-written with David Ritz, was published. In 1950, Mama Lu died, and James's biological mother took her to the Fillmore district of San Francisco. According to Marshall Chess, son of Leonard Chess, he had these words to say concerning the issue of this affair: Now, my father was no angel, but (he) was never caught in an affair, Chess said. With that said, it greatly disappoints me that in light of her authenticity, this truth has failed to be depicted on the screens of Hollywood. Cadillac Records begins with Dixon laying the foundation of the story, introducing us to "one white boy from Chicago" (Chess, first seen mid-coitus) and "one sharecropper from Mississippi" (Waters, tilling the soil). As the 1960s progressed, Chess's recording enterprise branched out into other genres including gospel, traditional jazz, spoken word, comedy, and more. 5 How many children did Leonard Chess have with Revetta Sloan? It's all too much and not enough; either make the epic the story deserves or don't bother. [citation needed], In 1975, James opened up for comedian Richard Pryor at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles.[26]. James' 1973 album, exhibiting a mixture of musical styles, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Money matters: Though Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) . By 1998, with the release of Life, Love & the Blues, James had added as backing musicians her own sons, Donto and Sametto, on drums and bass, respectively. No wonder Martin doesn't let the audience hear more than snatches of tunessave for Knowles' three extended numbers, clearly intended to sell the soundtrack. Thirty-six days after her death, her sideman Red Holloway also died.[63]. Here her powerhouse contralto voice was matched with the sumptuous, bluesy string arrangements of Riley Hampton, and James truly came into her own as a singer. In fact, as truly great as that song is, James recorded another that was even betterand its one she co-wrote, although, for tax reasons, she gave songwriting credit to her then boyfriend. James was raised by friends and relatives instead of her mother through most of . Beyonc was invited to sing At Last at Barack Obama's presidential inauguration in January 2009. She also recalled how happy he made her many years later when she found out that it was Presley who had moved her close friend Jackie Wilson from a substandard convalescent home to a more appropriate facility and, as she put it, paid all the expenses. He was the co-founder of the legendary Chess Records label, which was responsible for signing and starting the careers of some of music's biggest stars. Here's one interesting reviews of this flick: Cadillac Records chronicles the success of Chess Records owned by shrewd business man Leonard Chess and the rise and fall of its Negro blues recording artists with race, sex, violence and drugs as the backdrop. Sumlins partner, Toni Ann, posted the news online. Henry (also included on the disc), but it failed to make much noise. Also included are her near-orgiastic reading of Lieber and Stollers Tears of Joy and the sunny Come What May, which finds James is a slightly mellower groove, presaging her Chess work that commenced just a couple of years later. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. James publicly criticised her, then later offered an apology, suggesting that she was upset not to have been invited to sing herself. Leonard Chess (March 12, 1917 - October 16, 1969) was an American record company executive and the co-founder of Chess Records. When Jamesetta's adoptive mother died, Dorothy reappeared and took her 12-year-old daughter to San Francisco. They renamed it Chess,. Phil and his brother, Leonard Chess, emigrated to the. But in this version of the taletold in flashback, with overwrought narration provided by Cedric the Entertainer as Chess producer, session musician and house songwriter Willie Dixonthere is no Phil Chess, only Leonard, played by an actor, Adrien Brody, who, with his anachronistically tousled hair and Forever Fonzie wardrobe, looks as much like Leonard Chess as he does, well, Howlin' Wolf. [1] She faced a number of personal problems, including heroin addiction, severe physical abuse, and incarceration, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. In time, other important artists signed with Chess Records, including Bo Diddley and Sonny Boy Williamson, while Willie Dixon and Robert Lockwood Jr. took on a significant role behind the scenes. Leonard Chess, decided James would . Of course we all saw Beyonces role in the movie Cadillac Records but unfortunately that role was not the factual life of Etta James. 2023 Madavor Media, LLC. [37] It was later reported that Alzheimer's disease and "drug-induced dementia" had contributed to her negative comments about Knowles.[38]. (It bugs me to this day that he still receives royalties, James wrote in 1995.). She notched up such hits as All I Could Do Was Cry, If I Can't Have You and AtLast. Slate is published by The Slate [34] She performed six times at the North Sea Jazz Festival, in 1978, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993. He wrote that James had her first hit single when she was 15 years old and went steady with B.B. "Something's Got a Hold on Me" is a song by American singer Etta James. she has been hailed as a pioneer who helped bridge the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll and thereby contributed significantly to American musical history. DMCA, General Contact These sessions yielded her comeback hit "Tell Mama", co-written by Clarence Carter, which reached number ten on the R&B chart and number twenty-three for pop. In early 1961, James released what was to become her signature song, "At Last", a Glenn Miller tune, which reached number two on the R&B chart and number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. When Leonard Chessthe founder of James's label, Chess Recordsfirst heard the song, James says, "he got up and left the room 'cause he started crying When he came back in the room, he. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. Though the record was not as successful as expected, her rendition has become the best-known version of the song. "It never happened." He. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. [59], James was hospitalized in January 2010 to treat an infection caused by MRSA, a bacterium resistant to many antibiotics. [7] In 1950, the Chess brothers renamed the company Chess Records. Chess, a junkyard owner, dreams of opening a nightclub, which he does: the Macomba Lounge. Etta James, who has died at the age of of 73, had a rich, contralto voice that breathed life into a host of musical genres, from blues to jazz, R&B to soul. Chess Records co-founder Leonard Chess envisioned James as a classic ballad stylist who had potential to cross over to the pop charts and soon surrounded the singer with violins and other string instruments. Chess Records began after Phil and Leonard acquired full ownership of Chicago-based Aristocrat Records in 1950, Leonard having bought an initial share in it in 1947. In 1952, she met musician Johnny Otis who helped the band sign to Modern Records and changing their name to the Peaches and gave the singer her stage name reversing Jamesetta into Etta James. Less than a year after selling their label, Leonard Chess was dead. She agreed, lied to him that she was 18 and, when he demanded her mother's signed consent, went home and forged it Dorothy was then in prison. But nothing has an impact or leaves a mark, least of all the songs, watered down by actors doing miniature impersonations of giants. It never happened. He even asked James, a longtime friend, and she told him, He kissed me on the cheek once.. We talked about what it felt like being abandoned by a mother. She performed at the Playboy Jazz Festival in 1990, 1997, 2004, and 2007. In November 2011, James released her final album, The Dreamer, which was critically acclaimed upon its release. 3 Who was Harvey Fuqua dating before Etta James?
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