• Blues singer and songwriter Etta James rocketed to stardom in the 1960s with what became her signature ballad, "At Last". Her successful career has spanned five decades. She has won four Grammy Awards, and has been inducted into several Halls of Fame. Her tumultuous life and successful career helped make James one of the most respected female blues singers in history.

  On April 7, 2009, James sang her hit single "At Last" on Dancing with the Stars while Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff performed on the dance floor.

• Fast Facts

  1. Name: Jamesetta Hawkins
  2. Born: January 25, 1938
  3. Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
  4. Original Label: Chess Records
  5. Current Label: RCA Records
  6. Years active: 1954 - present
  7. Struggled with heroin addiction
  8. Had gastric bypass surgery in 2003, lost more than 200 pounds
  9. Hospitalized in July 2007 for "complications following abdominal surgery"Billboard: Etta James Hospitalized In Los Angeles (July 26, 2007)
  10. Performed "At Last" on DWTS on April 7, 2009

• Etta James and Beyonce

  During a concert at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington, in January 2009, Etta James took issue with Beyonce Knowles' performance of her hit song "At Last" during the first of several inaugural balls for President Barack Obama. Knowles serenaded Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the Neighborhood Ball. On an audio clip of James' concert, she can be heard telling the audience that she "can't stand Beyonce" and that she "had no business ... singing my song that I been singing forever."Daily News: Etta James takes shots at Beyonce and President Obama

  James also expressed displeasure with Obama himself, saying "You know your President, right? You know the one with the big ears? He ain't my President."Daily News: Etta James takes shots at Beyonce and President Obama

• Awards

  • 2003: Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • 2003: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 2001: Inducted in Blues Hall of Fame
  • 1993: Inducted in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
  • 1990: NAACP Image Award
  • The Blues Foundation Awards 17 wins

• Partial Discography

  • 1961: At Last
  • 1963: Etta James Top Ten
  • 1964: Etta James Rocks the House
  • 1968: Tell Mama
  • 1973: Etta James
  • 1997: Her Best
  • 1997: Love's Been Rough on Me
  • 1998: 12 Songs of Christmas
  • 1998: Life, Love and the Blues
  • 1999: The Best of Etta James: 20th Century Masters
  • 1999: The Heart of a Woman
  • 2000: Matriarch of the Blues
  • 2001: Blue Gardenia
  • 2001: Love Songs
  • 2002: Burnin' Down the House
  • 2003: Let's Roll
  • 2004: Blues to the Bone
  • 2006: The Definitive Collection
  • 2006: All the Way

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Aretha Franklin | Little Richard | B.B. King | Chuck Berry | Bonnie Raitt | RCA Records | Beyonce Knowles

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