That’s how I feel about “At Last”. I’m not familiar with James’s work, but whenever I heard “that song” I felt the pain, the bitterness, and then the joy in which Etta sang it.
Chicago Sun Times reports the storms of life bring clarity to a song.
And music is where Etta James found shelter.
Mrs. James died early Friday at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, Calif., of complications from leukemia, according to her manager, Lupe De Leon. She was 73.
She also had been suffering from dementia and kidney problems. In December, her physician announced that her leukemia was terminal and asked for prayers for the singer.
Mrs. James’ husband, Artis Mills, and her two sons were at her side when she died, De Leon said.
“It’s a tremendous loss for her fans around the world,” De Leon said. “She’ll be missed. A great American singer. Her music defied category.”
Mrs. James’ best known song was the ballad “At Last,” recorded in 1961, just after she signed with Argo, a subsidiary of Chicago’s Chess Records. With her measured contralto, Mrs. James surrendered to the dynamics of an entire relationship: the wanting, the discovery and renewal. The journey was arduous. And she was at the finish line.
“At Last” was also a crucial record in the lexicon of Chess as it moved the label from a blues imprint (Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf) to pop.
Chicago’s Club De Lisa saxophonist Riley Hampton had been recruited to create the lush arrangements with string sections that had never been used at Chess. The label hit the jackpot, counterpointing Hampton’s sweet pop strings with Mrs. James’ direct blues-jazz style.
More here
I know Etta is up in Heaven singing with the angels and making God smile.
R.I.P Etta
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