Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins; January 25, 1938 — January 20, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter. Her style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as “The Wallflower”, “At Last”, “Tell Mama”, “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”, and “I’d Rather Go Blind” for which she wrote the lyrics. She faced a number of personal problems, including drug addiction, before making a musical resurgence in the late 1980s with the album “Seven Year Itch.”
James is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and is the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. Rolling Stone magazine ranked James #22 on their list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” and #62 on the list of the “100 Greatest Artists.”
“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” is a jazz standard with music by Duke Ellington and lyrics by Bob Russell. The tune was originally called “Never No Lament” and was first recorded by Ellington in 1940 as a big-band instrumental. Russell’s lyrics and the new title were added in 1942.
In 1961, James included her rendition of the track on her second studio album, “The Second Time Around” which was released on Argo Records and was produced by Phil and Leonard Chess, who also produced her previous album. Like her previous album, “At Last!,” the producers added orchestral strings to the background music of James’s voice, which garnered her with Pop crossover appeal.
James was hospitalized in January 2010 to treat an infection. During her hospitalization, her son Donto revealed that James had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008.
She was diagnosed with leukemia in early 2011. The illness became terminal and she died on January 20, 2012, just five days before her 74th birthday, at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, California. Her death came three days after that of Johnny Otis, the man who discovered her in the 1950s. Additionally, just 36 days after her death, her sideman Red Holloway also died.
The funeral, presided by Reverend Al Sharpton, took place in Gardena, California eight days after her death. Singers Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera each gave a musical tribute. She was entombed at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Los Angeles County, California.
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Etta James – Don’t Get Around Much Anymore