Clare may refer to:

Places[link]

United Kingdom[link]

• Clare, Suffolk, a small town, formerly an important feudal barony after which are named most of the places below
• Clare, County Antrim, townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland
• Clare, County Armagh, townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland
• Clare, County Down, townland in County Down, Northern Ireland
• Clare College, Cambridge, college of the University of Cambridge

Australia[link]

• Clare, South Australia, town in the Clare Valley
• Clare Valley, wine region

Canada[link]

• Clare, Nova Scotia, municipal district
• Clare (electoral district), electoral district

Ireland[link]

• County Clare, one of the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland
• River Clare, river in County Galway
• Clare Island, island in County Mayo
• Clarecastle, village in County Clare
• Constituencies of the Parliament of Ireland (until 1800)
  • Clare (Parliament of Ireland constituency) (until 1800)

• Constituencies of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom (1801–1922) and First Dáil 1918
  • Clare (UK Parliament constituency) (1801–1885)
  • East Clare (UK Parliament constituency) (1885–1922)
  • West Clare (UK Parliament constituency) (1885–1922)

• Constituencies of the Dáil Éireann (1921–):
  • Clare (Dáil Éireann constituency) (since 1921)
  • Clare–Galway South (Dáil Éireann constituency) (1969–1977)

United States[link]

• Clare, Indiana
• Clare, Iowa
• Clare, Michigan
• Clare, New York
• Clare County, Michigan
• Mount Clare, Illinois

Schools[link]

• Saint Clare School, Santa Clara, California

People[link]

• Clare (given name) (includes a list of people with this name)
• Clare (surname)

• Saint Clare of Assisi, foundress of the Order of Poor Ladies (Poor Clares) and companion of Saint Francis
• Saint Clare of Montefalco, Augustinian Catholic saint
• Blessed Clare of Rimini, beatified Poor Clare nun

Other[link]

• CLARE (Contact lens acute red eye), an inflammatory condition of the cornea due to overwearing of contact lenses

See also[link]

• Clair (disambiguation)
• Clara (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Alexander George Clare (born 14 September 1985 in Southwark, London, England) is a British singer-songwriter.^[1] His debut album, The Lateness of the Hour, was released in the UK on 11 July 2011 on Island Records^[2] and was produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer.^[3]

Clare adopted his current stage name, Alex Clare, in 2010, replacing Alexander G. Muertos, a pseudonym he first used whilst still at school.

Early life[link]

Clare was born in Southwark, London. He grew up listening to his father’s jazz records and was drawn to blues and soul (Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder), which eventually led to interests in drum and bass and UK garage. Though Clare took up the trumpet and drums as a youngster, he eventually placed an emphasis on guitar and songwriting, playing open mike nights with original material.^{[citation needed]}

Music career[link]

A demo earned him a deal with the Island label in the UK. His debut album, The Lateness of the Hour, produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer^[3] was released in July 2011. The first single from the album was "Up All Night", followed by "Too Close" and "Treading Water".

On 19 May 2011, Reggie Yates made Alex Clare's cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" his Song of the Day.^[4] A day later, the Dutch radio station 3FM announced single "Too Close" to be the '3FM's Megahit of that week.^[5]

On 21 June 2011, Clare performed at the Queens' College, Cambridge May Ball.^[6] On 14 August 2011, Clare performed at the Summer Well festival in Buftea, Romania.

Following the disappointing performance of the album, Clare was dropped from his record contract with Universal Island in the UK.^[7]

In 2012, Clare's song "Too Close" was featured in an Internet Explorer 9 commercial.^[8] Following its use in the commercial, the song debuted at #68 on the US Billboard Hot 100^[9] Clare saw success on the German charts too, topping the charts at #1. On 16 May, Clare's song peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart.^[10]

Personal life[link]

Clare is a practicing Shomer Shabbat Jew, refusing to perform, travel or work on the Jewish Sabbath or religious Holidays. He lives in Golders Green, North London but often travels to Jerusalem when his work permits.

Before gaining critical success, Clare dated singer Amy Winehouse for a year. They met while he performed and worked at a bar she frequented, The Hawley Arms in Camden, North London.^[11]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Clare Maguire
Background information
Born	(1987-09-15) September 15, 1987 (age 24) Solihull
Genres	Trip-hop, electropop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2008–present
Labels	Polydor, Universal Republic[1]
Associated acts	The Streets, Chase & Status
Website	claremaguire.com

Clare Rita Mary Maguire (born 15 September 1987) is a British singer-songwriter. She was signed to Universal Music Group Polydor Records in 2008. She was rated in fifth place in the BBC Sound of 2011 list of the top 15 most promising new artists.^[2] Maguire was also singled out as one of MTV's Brand New: For 2011 Acts.^[3] Her voice has been compared to Stevie Nicks and Annie Lennox.^[4]

Maguire's debut album, Light After Dark, was released on 28 February 2011.

Career beginnings[link]

When she was 17, Maguire began travelling regularly to London to establish music contacts and also began posting demo songs on MySpace. One of these tracks, Strangest Thing, recorded with Joe Flory (Primary 1) approached 500,000 plays,^[5] leading to interest from a number of major recording companies. Maguire was also invited to Jay-Z's restaurant to meet the American rapper and millionaire businessman^[6] and other well established recording artists, including Jarvis Cocker, who was impressed and offered her one of his songs.^[5] Maguire signed a recording contract with Polydor Records in 2008 and then worked on her debut album Light After Dark with producer Fraser T. Smith, who has previously worked with Kylie and Adele.^[2]

History[link]

[edit] 2009–2011: Light After Dark

Maguire began a European concert tour in October 2010 supporting Plan B and Hurts.^[7] She has also written a song with fellow Birmingham rap artist Mike Skinner entitled Lock the Locks which will feature on his last Streets album, Computers and Blues.^[8] Maguire also features on the track Midnight Caller which appears on Drum and Bass-duo Chase & Status' second studio album, No More Idols.

Maguire released her debut single Ain't Nobody in the United Kingdom on 18 October 2010 through Polydor Records, where it debuted at number 78 on the UK Singles Chart. A remix of the song was used in Renault's 2011 Clio commercial entitled "What is Va Va Voom?".^[9] Maguire's song You're Electric was selected as the iTunes single of the week and was available for a free digital download from 28 December until 3 January 2011.^[10] The song also appears on Light After Dark, but was released as part of an iTunes-exclusive EP entitled Let's Begin. In March 2011, Maguire began supporting The Script in their UK tour.^{[citation needed]}

On 31 December 2010, the song Lucky appeared as another free promotional download on Amazon. She then released her second official single, The Last Dance. The single was said to have been written by Maguire the day after the death of music legend Michael Jackson in response to a series of unjustified comments. The official video that accompanied the single was first premiered by The Sun on 7 January 2011 and was directed by AlexandLiane.^[11] The song was 4Music and TheBox's 'VIP Track of the week' and was also 'Record Of The Week' for BBC Radio 1 DJs Fearne Cotton and Dev. BBC Radio 1 added the song to the B-List on its playlist.^{[citation needed]}

Light After Dark went in at Number 7 in the official UK top 100 album chart (refer to previous link). The album was released on the 20th February 2011. The last single to be released off the album was 'The Shield & The Sword'. It peaked at #91 on the UK Music charts.

[edit] 2011-present: Second Studio Album

During 2011, Maguire has been working with various songwriters and producers for the second album. During her debut headline tour, she premiered new song titled 'Mess You Around'. She has also premiered 2 new songs during festivals over the summer of 2011, titled 'A Change In Me' and 'Lights Out'. Maguire has described the second album as more of a "bluesy/soul record" with influences from Johnny Cash among others.

She features on Welsh DJ, High Contrast's song 'Almost Human' taken from his upcoming album. It is a different direction for Maguire, portraying a more drum and bass sound.

In an interview in March 2012, Maguire said of the new album, "With this album I’ve taken a lot of inspiration through my own experiences and people I’ve met. It’s edgy and raw which suits my voice. It’s honest and quite funny as well. There wasn’t any humour in my first record and that annoyed me because I like to be around people who make me laugh. In terms of genre, I guess it comes under soul." It was also stated in this interview that the album is set for release in January 2013.

Personal life[link]

Born in Solihull,^[12] on 15 September 1987,^[13] Maguire comes from a large musical Irish family, the middle child of three born to Caroline (née Deehan) and Francis Maguire Sr.^[14] and started singing and writing music from the age of 7.^[15] She went to school at the independent all-girls school, Saint Martin's. She includes among her significant influences Johnny Cash, Prince, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac and Sister Rosetta Tharpe,^[2] the pioneering 1940s gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist who popularised mixing spiritual lyrics with rock and roll accompaniment.^[16]

Discography[link]

• Light After Dark (2011)
• Second Studio Album (2013)

Touring[link]

Maguire has supported Hurts and Plan B tours in the past, and was supporting The Script, 17–29 March 2011, as part of their Science & Faith Tour. On 3 February 2011 Maguire announced details of a UK and Ireland tour, set for March and April.^[17]

Maguire performed at Pride Bristol 2011 on 16 July.^[18]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Clare Maguire's BBC Sound of 2011 page at BBC Online
• Clare Maguire interview in the Virgin Red Room

John Rutter
Born	John Milford Rutter (1945-09-24) September 24, 1945 (age 66) London
Nationality	United Kingdom
Alma mater	Clare College, Cambridge
Occupation	Composer, conductor
Known for	Founded the Cambridge Singers, prolific composer
Awards	National Patron of Delta Omicron (1985); Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2007)

John Milford Rutter CBE (born (1945-09-24)24 September 1945) is a British composer, conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, mainly of choral music.

Biography[link]

Born in London, Rutter was educated at Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener.^[1] He read music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the choir. He served as director of music at Clare College from 1975 to 1979 and led the choir to international prominence.

In 1974, Rutter visited the United States at the invitation of choral musician Melvin (Mel) Olson and conducted the premiere of his cantata "Gloria" in Omaha, Nebraska, in the Witherspoon Hall of Joslyn Art Museum. The composition, commissioned by Olson's Voices of Mel Olson chorale, has become a much-performed favourite over the years.^{[citation needed]}

In 1981 Rutter founded his own choir, the Cambridge Singers, which he conducts and with which he has made many recordings of sacred choral repertoire (including his own works), particularly under his own label Collegium Records. He resides at Duxford in Cambridgeshire and frequently conducts many choirs and orchestras around the world.

In 1980 he was made an honorary Fellow of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, and in 1988 a Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians. In 1996 the Archbishop of Canterbury conferred a Lambeth Doctorate of Music upon him in recognition of his contribution to church music. In 2008, he was made an honorary Bencher of the Middle Temple while playing a significant role in the 2008 Temple Festival.

From 1985 to 1992 Rutter suffered severely from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME; or Chronic fatigue syndrome), which restricted his output; after 1985 he stopped writing music on commission, as he was unable to guarantee meeting deadlines.^[2]

Rutter also works as an arranger and editor, most notably (in his youth) of the extraordinarily successful Carols for Choirs anthology series in collaboration with Sir David Willcocks.

He was inducted as a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity in 1985.^[3][4]

Compositions[link]

Rutter's compositions are chiefly choral, and include Christmas carols, anthems and extended works such as a Gloria, a Magnificat, and a Requiem.

The world premiere of Rutter's Requiem (1985), and of his authoritative edition of Faure's Requiem, took place with the Fox Valley Festival Chorus, in Illinois. In 2002 his setting of Psalm 150, commissioned for the Queen's Golden Jubilee, was performed at the Jubilee thanksgiving service in St Paul's Cathedral, London. Similarly, he was commissioned to write a new anthem, "This is the day which the Lord hath made" for the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011, performed at Westminster Abbey during the service.^[5]

He has also written an opera for young people called Bang!

Rutter's work is published principally by Oxford University Press in England and by Hinshaw Music in the US. He has been recorded by many choirs, but conducts his own recordings principally on his Collegium label.

Influences[link]

Rutter's music is eclectic, showing the influences of the French and English choral traditions of the early 20th century, as well as of light music and American classic songwriting. Almost every choral anthem and hymn that he writes,^{[citation needed]} in addition to the standard piano/organ accompaniment, has a subsequent orchestral accompaniment as well, utilizing various different instrumentations, such as strings only, strings and woodwinds, or full orchestra with brass and percussion, among others.

Despite composing and conducting much religious music, Rutter told the US television program 60 Minutes in 2003 that he was not particularly a religious man, yet still deeply spiritual and inspired by the spirituality of sacred verses and prayers.^[6] The 60 Minutes program, which aired a week before Christmas 2003, focused on Rutter's popularity with choral groups in the United States, Britain and other parts of the world, and on his composition, Mass of the Children, composed after the sudden death of his son Christopher while a student at Clare College, Cambridge (where Rutter himself had studied).

In a 2009 interview,^{[citation needed]} Rutter discussed his understanding of "genius" and its unique ability to transform lives - whether that genius is communicated in the form of music or other mediums. He likened the purity of music to that of mathematics, and even connected the two with a reference to the discoveries of the early Greeks that frequencies of harmonic pitches are related by whole-number ratios.

Reception[link]

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Rutter's music is very popular, particularly in the USA (NBC's Today Show called him "the world's greatest living composer and conductor of choral music")^{[cite this quote]}. In the UK it receives a more mixed reception^{[citation needed]}: while one conservative British composer, David Arditti, does not regard him as a sufficiently "serious" composer,^[7] others hold him in high regard, as illustrated by the following quotation from a review in the London Evening Standard (25/09/2005): "For the infectiousness of his melodic invention and consummate craftsmanship, Rutter has few peers."

List of compositions and arrangements[link]

Carols[link]

Choral works[link]

Most of these works are arrangements.

Anthems and other compositions[link]

Most of these works are original compositions, including new musical settings of standard texts, whilst others are arrangements of traditional hymns.

Music with narration[link]

• Wind in the Willows
• Brother Heinrich's Christmas
• The Reluctant Dragon

References[link]

Footnotes[link]

Notations[link]

• Kennedy, Michael (2006), The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 985 pages, ISBN 0-19-861459-4

External links[link]

• Rutter at the Oxford University Press website
• Collegium Records
• John Rutter interviewed by Alan Macfarlane, 28 January 2009 (film)
• John Rutter interviewed by C Music TV, October 2010 from YouTube
• John Rutter interviewed by C Music TV, October 2010 from C Music TV
• This is the Day, performed at the royal wedding, 2011

Etta James
James in 2006 in Lansing, Michigan
Background information
Birth name	Jamesetta Hawkins
Also known as	Miss Peaches, The Matriarch of R&B
Born	(1938-01-25)January 25, 1938 Los Angeles, California
Died	January 20, 2012(2012-01-20) (aged 73) Riverside, California
Genres	Blues, R&B, rock and roll, jazz, soul, gospel
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1954–2012
Labels	Modern, Chess/MCA Records, Argo, Crown, Cadet, Island/PolyGram Records, Private Music/RCA, RCA Victor Records, Elektra, Virgin/EMI Records, Verve Forecast/Universal Records
Associated acts	Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Otis, Sugar Pie DeSanto

Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins; January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) was an American singer. Her style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz. Starting her career in the mid-1950s, she gained fame with hits such as "Dance With Me, Henry", "At Last", "Tell Mama", and "I'd Rather Go Blind" for which she wrote the lyrics.^[1] She faced a number of personal problems, including drug addiction, before making a musical resurgence in the late 1980s with the album The Seven Year Itch.^[2]

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 & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008.^[3] Rolling Stone ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.^[4][5]

Early life and career: 1938–1959[link]

Jamesetta Hawkins was born on January 25, 1938, in Los Angeles, California, to Dorothy Hawkins, who was only 14 at the time. Her father has never been identified.^[6] James speculated that her father was the pool player, Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, and met him briefly in 1987.^[7] Due to her mother being often absent from their Watts apartment, conducting relationships with various men, James lived with a series of foster parents, most notably "Sarge" and "Mama" Lu. James referred to her mother as "the Mystery Lady".^[6]

James received her first professional vocal training at the age of five from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir, at the St. Paul Baptist Church in south central Los Angeles. She became a popular singing attraction at the church, and Sarge tried to pressure the church into paying him money for her singing, but they refused. During drunken poker games at home, he would often wake James up in the early hours of the morning and force her through beatings to sing for his friends. As she was a bed-wetter, and often soaked with her own urine on these occasions, the trauma of being forced to sing meant she had a life-long reluctance to sing on demand.^[8]

In 1950 Mama Lu died, and James' real mother took her to the Fillmore district in San Francisco.^[9] Within a couple of years, James began listening to doo-wop and was inspired to form a girl group, called the Creolettes (due to the members' light skinned complexions). The 14-year-old girl met musician Johnny Otis. Stories on how they met vary including Otis' version in which James had come to his hotel after one of his performances in the city and persuaded him to audition her. Another story came that Otis spotted the group performing at a Los Angeles nightclub and sought them to record his "answer song" to Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie". Nonetheless, Otis took the group under his wing, helping them sign to Modern Records and changing their name from the Creolettes to the Peaches and gave the singer her stage name reversing Jamesetta into Etta James. James recorded the version, which she was allowed to co-author, in 1954, and the song was released in early 1955 as "Dance with Me, Henry". Originally the name of the song was "Roll With Me, Henry" but was changed to avoid censorship due to the subtle title. In February of that year, the song reached number one on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Tracks chart.^[10] Its success gave the group an opening spot on Little Richard's national tour.^[11]

While on tour with Richard, pop singer Georgia Gibbs recorded her version of James' song, which was released under the title "The Wallflower", and became a crossover hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, which angered James. After leaving the Peaches, James had another R&B hit with "Good Rockin' Daddy", but struggled with follow-ups. When her contract with Modern came up in 1960, she decided to sign with Leonard Chess' namesake label, Chess Records, and shortly afterwards got involved in a relationship with singer Harvey Fuqua, founder of the doo-wop group, The Moonglows.

Bobby Murray, aka "Taters", toured with Etta James for 20 years. He wrote that James had her first hit single when she was 15 years of age and went steady with B.B. King when she was 16. Etta James believed the hit single "Sweet Sixteen" by B.B. King was about her.^[12]

Chess years: 1960–1978[link]

James was recorded for the Chess subsidiary label Argo (later Cadet) and had her first hit singles under duets with Fuqua including "If I Can't Have You" and "Spoonful". Her first solo hit was the doo-wop styled rhythm and blues number, "All I Could Do Was Cry", becoming a number two R&B hit.^[13] Leonard Chess had envisioned James as a classic ballad stylist who had potential to cross over to the pop charts and soon surrounded the singer with violins and other string instruments.^[13] The first string-laden ballad James recorded was "My Dearest Darling", which peaked in the top five of the R&B chart. James sang background vocals on label mate Chuck Berry's "Back in the USA".^[14]

Vinyl recording of "At Last"/"I Just Want to Make Love"

Her debut album, At Last!, was released in late 1960 and was noted for its varied choice in music from jazz standards to blues numbers to doo-wop and rhythm and blues (R&B).^[15] The album also included James' future classic, "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "A Sunday Kind of Love". In early 1961, James released what was to become her signature song, "At Last", which reached number two on the R&B chart and number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though the song was not as successful as expected, it has become the most remembered version of the song.^[14] James followed that up with "Trust in Me", which also included string instruments.^[13] Later that same year, James released a second studio album, The Second Time Around. The album took the same direction as her previous album, covering many jazz and pop standards, and using strings on many of the songs spawning two hit singles, "The Fool That I Am" and "Don't Cry Baby".^[16]

James started adding gospel elements in her music the following year releasing "Something's Got a Hold on Me", which peaked at number four on the R&B chart and was also a top 40 pop hit.^[17] That success was quickly followed by "Stop the Wedding", which reached number six on the R&B charts and also had gospel elements.^[14] In 1963, she had another major hit with "Pushover" and released the live album Etta James Rocks the House, which was recorded at the New Era Club in Nashville, Tennessee.^[13] After a couple years scoring minor hits, James' career started to suffer after 1965. After a period of isolation, James returned to recording in 1967 and reemerged with more ballsy R&B numbers thanks to her recording at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama releasing her comeback hit "Tell Mama", which was co-written by Clarence Carter and reached number ten R&B and number twenty three pop. An album of the same name was also released that year and included her take of Otis Redding's "Security".^[18] The B-side of "Tell Mama" was "I'd Rather Go Blind", which became a blues classic in its own right and was recorded by many other artists. She wrote in her autobiography Rage To Survive that she heard the song outlined by her friend Ellington "Fugi" Jordan when she visited him in prison.^[19] According to her account, she wrote the rest of the song with Jordan, but for tax reasons gave her songwriting credit to her partner at the time, Billy Foster.

Following this success, James became an on-demand concert performer though she never again reached the heyday of her early-to-mid 1960s success. She continued to chart in the R&B Top 40 in the early 1970s with singles such as "Losers Weepers" (1970) and "I Found a Love" (1972). Though James continued to record for Chess, she was devastated by the death of Chess founder Leonard Chess in 1969. James ventured into rock and funk with the release of her self-titled album in 1973 with production from famed rock producer Gabriel Mekler, who had worked with Steppenwolf and Janis Joplin, who had admired James and had covered "Tell Mama" in concert. The album, known for its mixtures of musical styles, was nominated for a Grammy Award.^[18] The album did not produce any major hits, neither did the follow-up, Out On the Street Again, in 1974, though like Etta James before it, the album was also critically acclaimed. James continued to record for Chess releasing two more albums in 1978, Etta Is Betta Than Evah and Deep in the Night, which saw the singer incorporating more rock-based music in her repertoire.^[13] That same year, James was the opening act for The Rolling Stones and also performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Following this brief success, however, she left Chess Records and did not record for another ten years as she struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism for the better part of a decade.

Later career: 1988–2012[link]

Etta James in 1990

Though she continued to perform, little was heard of Etta James until 1987 when she was seen performing "Rock & Roll Music" with Chuck Berry on his "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll" documentary. In 1989, James signed with Island Records and released the album Seven Year Itch. The album was produced by Barry Beckett. She released a second album, also produced by Barry Beckett, in 1989 titled Stickin' to My Guns. Both albums were recorded at FAME Studios.^[18] Also in 1989 James filmed a live concert from the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles with Joe Walsh and Albert Collins. 'Jazzvisions: Jump The Blues Away'. Backing musicians consisted of many top-flight players from LA: Rick Rosas (bass); Michael Huey (drums); Ed Sanford (B3); Kip Noble (piano); and Etta's longtime guitar player Josh Sklar (guitar). James participated in rap singer Def Jef for the song "Droppin' Rhymes on Drums", which mixed James' jazz vocals with hip-hop. In 1992, James released The Right Time produced by Jerry Wexler on Elektra Records and the following year, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[10] James signed with Private Music Records in 1993 and recorded the Billie Holiday tribute album Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday.^[17] The album later set a trend for James' music to incorporate more jazz elements.^[13] The album won James her first Grammy Award for best jazz vocal performance in 1994. In 1995, she released the David Ritz-co authored autobiography, A Rage to Survive, and recorded the album Time After Time. Three years later she issued the Christmas album Etta James Christmas in 1998.^[13]

By the mid-1990s, James' earlier classic music was included in commercials including, most notably, "I Just Wanna Make Love to You". Due to exposure of the song in a UK commercial, the song reached the top ten of the UK charts in 1996.^[10] Continuing to record for Private Music, she released the blues album Matriarch of the Blues in 2000, which had James returning to her R&B roots with Rolling Stone hailing it as a "solid return to roots", further stating that the album found the singer "reclaiming her throne — and defying anyone to knock her off it."^[17] In 2001, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the latter for her contributions to the developments of both rock and roll music and rockabilly. In 2003, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her 2004 release, Blue Gardenia, returned James to a jazz music style. James' final album for Private Music, Let's Roll, was released in 2005 and won James a Grammy for best contemporary blues album.^[20]

Etta James performing in San Jose, California, in 2000.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked her No. 62 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.^[21] James has performed at the top world jazz festivals in the world, such as the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1977, 1989, 1990 and 1993,^[22] performed nine times at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival, and the San Francisco Jazz Festival five times. James also often performed at free city outdoor summer arts festivals throughout the United States.

In 2008, James was portrayed by Beyoncé Knowles in the film, Cadillac Records, loosely based on the rise and fall of James' label of 18 years, Chess Records, and how label founder and producer Leonard Chess helped the career of James and other label mates, though it was noted that James was successful prior to her signing with Chess Records.^[23] In the film, Etta James' character is in constant search to seek the recognition as well as love from a professional pool player named Minnesota Fats, whom she believed to be her white biological father.^[24] The film also portrayed "At Last" as a huge pop hit, but the single only charted briefly when it was initially released and James had bigger hits. It also indicated that James and Chess, who were 21 years apart in age, were lovers but that was also inaccurate. Though James and Knowles were later seen at a red carpet event following the film's release embracing each other, James expressed her displeasure with Knowles at a Seattle concert in January 2009, a few days after Knowles sang her song, "At Last", at the first inaugural ball for Barack Obama. James claimed she "can't stand Beyoncé" and that Knowles would "get her ass whipped". James later said that her remarks about Knowles were a joke but admitted she was hurt that she was not invited to sing her song and that she could've performed it better.^[25]

In April 2009, the 71-year-old James made her final television appearance performing "At Last" during an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. In May 2009, James received the Soul/Blues Female Artist of the Year award from the Blues Foundation, the ninth time James had won the award. James carried on touring but by 2010 had to cancel concert dates due to her gradually failing health after it was revealed that she was suffering from dementia and leukemia. In November 2011, James released her final album, The Dreamer, which was critically acclaimed upon its release. James announced via her manager's statement that this would be her final album. James's continuing relevance was affirmed in 2011 when the Swedish DJ Avicii achieved substantial chart success with the song "Levels", which samples her 1962 song, "Something's Got a Hold On Me". "Levels" was then used by rapper Flo Rida in his hit 2011 single "Good Feeling." Both artists issued statements of condolence on James's death.^[26]

Style and influence[link]

James's musical style changed during the course of her career. When beginning her recording career in the mid-50s, James was marketed as an R&B and doo wop singer.^[13] After signing with Chess Records in 1960, James broke through as a traditional pop-styled singer, covering jazz and pop music standards on her debut album, At Last!.^[27] James's voice deepened and coarsened, moving her musical style in her later years into the genres of soul and jazz.^[13]

Etta James had once been considered one of the most overlooked blues and R&B musicians in American music history. It was not until the early 1990s when James began receiving major industry awards from the Grammys and the Blues Foundation that she began to receive wide recognition. In recent years, James was seen as bridging the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. James has influenced a wide variety of American musicians including Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland,^[17] and Hayley Williams of Paramore^[28] as well as British artists The Rolling Stones,^[29] Rod Stewart,^[30] Elkie Brooks,^[31] Amy Winehouse,^[30] Paloma Faith,^[32] Joss Stone^[33] and Adele.^[34]

Personal life[link]

James encountered a string of legal problems during the early 1970s due to her heroin addiction. She was continuously in and out of rehabilitation centers, including the Tarzana Rehabilitation Center, in Los Angeles, California. Her husband Artis Mills, whom she married in 1969, accepted responsibility when they were both arrested for heroin possession and served a 10-year prison sentence.^[35] He was released from prison in 1982 and was still married to James at her death.^[17] She was also arrested around the same time for her drug addiction, accused of cashing bad checks, forgery and possession of heroin.^[36]

In 1974, James was sentenced to drug treatment instead of serving time in prison. She was in the Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital for 17 months, at age 36, and went through a great struggle at the start of treatment. In her autobiography, she said that the time she spent in the hospital changed her life. However, after leaving treatment, her substance abuse continued after she developed a relationship with a man who was also using drugs. In 1988, at the age of 50, she entered the Betty Ford Center, in Palm Springs, California, for treatment.^[17] In 2010, she received treatment for a dependency on painkillers.^[37]

James had two sons, Donto and Sametto. Both started performing with their mother in 2003—Donto on drums and Sametto on bass guitar.^[38]

Illness and death[link]

James was hospitalized in January 2010 to treat an infection caused by MRSA, a bacterium that is resistant to most antibiotic treatment. During her hospitalization, her son Donto revealed that James had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2008, and attributed her previous comments about Beyoncé Knowles to "drug induced dementia".^[39]

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.^[40] 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.^[41][42]

Awards[link]

From 1989, James received over 30 awards and recognitions from eight different organizations, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences which organizes the Grammys.

In 1989, the newly formed Rhythm and Blues Foundation included James in their first Pioneer Awards for artists whose "lifelong contributions have been instrumental in the development of Rhythm & Blues music".^[43] The following year, 1990, she received an NAACP Image Award, which is given for "outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts";^[44] an award she cherished as it "was coming from my own people".^[45]

• 1993, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• 2001, Rockabilly Hall of Fame
• April 18, 2003,^[46] Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Hollywood Walk of Fame, star at 7080 Hollywood Blvd, and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Lifetime Achievement Award^[47]
• 2006, Billboard R&B Founders Award^[48]

Grammys[link]

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. James has received six Grammy Awards. Her first was in 1994, when she was awarded Best Jazz Vocal Performance for the album Mystery Lady, which consisted of covers of Billie Holiday songs.^[49] Two other albums have also won awards, Let's Roll (Best Contemporary Blues Album) in 2003, and Blues to the Bone (Best Traditional Blues Album) in 2004. Two of her early songs have been given Grammy Hall of Fame Awards for "qualitative or historical significance": "At Last", in 1999,^[50] and "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)" in 2008.^[51] In 2003, she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.^[52]

Blues Foundation[link]

The members of the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up in Memphis, Tennessee, to foster the blues and its heritage,^[53] have nominated James for a Blues Music Award nearly every year since its founding in 1980; and she has received some form of Blues Female Artist of the Year award 14 times since 1989, continuously from 1999 to 2007.^[54] In addition, the albums Life, Love, & The Blues (1999), Burnin' Down The House (2003), and Let's Roll (2004) were awarded Soul/Blues Album of the Year,^[54] and in 2001 she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.^[49]

Discography[link]

Notes[link]