tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8361375881752876171.post8567862357990615498..comments2012-01-29T01:54:14.136-08:00Comments on B612mpt: Gustav Klimt - The Kiss , Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind , William Shakespeare - Thou blind fool, Love, what dost thou to mine eyesB612musicall production teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01120448711832010863noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8361375881752876171.post-56641767163801226232012-01-29T01:54:14.136-08:002012-01-29T01:54:14.136-08:00Etta James has died at age 73 in Southern Californ...Etta James has died at age 73 in Southern California where she was born.<br /><br />The California blues superstar has lost her battle with leukemia, Alzheimer's, kidney disease and Hepatitis-C, and the family of Etta James was by her side until the very end.<br /><br />Etta James' manager, Lupe De Leon, had previously announced that the music legend was terminally ill, under 24-hour care and on oxygen. "We're all very sad. We're just waiting," said De Leon in December.<br /><br />The great Etta James did not make it to her 74th birthday on January 25th, though many prayed for a healing miracle.<br /><br />Millions of fans around the world are saddened by the news of Etta James' death after the Rock & Roll, Blues, Soul, R&B, Pop, Gospel and Jazz superstar had survived just about everything life could dish out --- and lived to sing about it all for decades.<br /><br />Now the end has finally come and the great voice has been silenced on earth.<br /><br />Etta James' signature song, "At Last," is the personal favorite of three generations of music lovers, so it thrilled millions when Etta James recently performed "At Last" on television's #1 show, "Dancing With The Stars," in her seventies, looking very glamorous <br /><br />Born in Los Angeles and raised in San Francisco, Etta James (Jamesetta Hawkins) was the daughter of Dorothy Hawkins, a black teenage mother, and the legendary pool player "Minnesota Fats" (Rudolf Wanderone).<br /><br />Her father never publicly acknowledged her due to social attitudes toward bi-racial children. Some still deny his paternity today.<br /><br />At age five, Etta James began singing at the St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles. At age 14, she had her first #1 hit, "The Wallflower," and she was immediately placed on tour with Little Richard and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. She was later a backup singer for Chuck Berry and she recorded with legendary record producer Jerry Wexler.<br /><br />In the years since, Etta James has released 30 albums, 58 hit singles, and toured with The Rolling Stones.<br /><br />Rolling Stone magazine ranked Etta James as one of the Greatest Singers of All Time and one of the Greatest Artists of All Time. <br /><br />The singer has won six Grammys, 17 Blues Music Awards, an NAACP Image Award, a BMI Lifetime Achievement Award, a Billboard R&B Founders Award, a Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. <br /><br />Etta James was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the Grammy Hall of Fame.<br /><br />Many recording superstars have credited Etta James as a powerful musical influence, including Diana Ross, Beyoncé, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Christina Aguilera, The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Joss Stone, the late Amy Winehouse, and today's hottest soul sensation, Adele.<br /><br />Ironically, Etta James' just-released album, The Dreamer, is the most critically-acclaimed album of the singer's career --- right at the very end of her existence.<br /><br />The impact of Etta James' life is almost beyond description. One California girl from L.A. did indeed change the world.<br /><br />Now Sister Etta has graduated from this earth.<br /><br />The legendary songbird has left Riverside, California for her grandest tour in the Great Beyond. Etta James was a sister to us all. <br /><br />A great singer is always prepared to perform and, now that the time has come, Etta James is singing "At Last" like she never has before, with a thrill she never imagined, looking into the eternal eyes of love.<br /><br />(from http://www.californiality.com )B612musicall production teamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01120448711832010863noreply@blogger.com