Photo: John K. Addis / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Etta James had one of those voices that seemed to carry the whole weight of a life inside it, sweetness and scar tissue at once. Coming up through the Chitlin' Circuit, she absorbed blues, jazz, R&B, and gospel and fused them into something unmistakably her own. The 2003 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and her 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction are well earned, but accolades feel beside the point with her. What I value most is her refusal to sing anything she didn't feel. She passed in 2012, yet that voice still stops people cold. That's immortality.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Etta James
- Name (Japanese)
- エタ・ジェイムズ
- Reading
- えた・じぇいむず
- Born
- January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Tiger
- Origin
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer / singer-songwriter / jazz musician / recording artist / musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Jefferson High School (Los Angeles)
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2003 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Etta James born?
January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012.
Where is Etta James from?
Etta James is from Los Angeles, California, United States.
What does Etta James do?
Etta James works as singer, singer-songwriter, jazz musician, recording artist, musician.
Singer — see all → · Singer-songwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.