On Friday Jan. 20, Etta James and Johnny Otis died. For those of you who know and love American rhythm and blues, and even for those who don’t, in the 1950s Etta James, Johnny Otis and Little Richard were part of the rhythm and blues movement of post-World War II America from which 20th and 21st century rock and roll was born. Born January 25, 1938 she would have been 74 this Wednesday.
Etta’s voice was always charged with an intelligence and an electrifyingly witty soulfulness. Her phrasing was everything. She was sophisticated and searing, my kind of Aquarian girl. The art of soul is distinctively American — rich and full of a variety of influences and painful history. “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” “All I Need” and “Tell Mama” were songs I remember growing up with, and as do so many others of us who came of age in the 1960s as well.
Etta opened for the Rolling Stones and accompanied Jerry Garcia. You could hear strains of her in the wails of Janis Joplin who was a great fan of hers. So too was Diana Ross, Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart and Amy Winehouse. She was the mother of rock and roll: recognized, honored and yet, oftentimes forgotten. Though a few of her pieces hit the mainstream, particularly “At Last,” she was never truly recognized as a major mainstream artist.