Etta James

CTL-E-5235 · Person · musician · 1938–2012

VERIFIED evidence grade of this record

Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938, in Los Angeles, California; died January 20, 2012, in Riverside, California) was an American singer who bridged rhythm and blues, soul, and rock and roll. Discovered as a teenager by bandleader Johnny Otis, she first hit with “The Wallflower” in 1955. In 1960 she signed with Chicago's Chess Records; her debut album, At Last!, appeared that year on the Chess imprint Argo, and its title ballad became her signature song. Across roughly eighteen years at Chess she recorded “I'd Rather Go Blind,” “Tell Mama,” and “Something's Got a Hold on Me,” sustaining her career through years of addiction and repeated comebacks. In 1993 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The record

• Also known as: Jamesetta Hawkins

Notes

Staged 2026-10-15 under CTL-GOV-006; Gate A clear (incl. near-name sweep vs. Etta Jones — no match); Gate B met (3 sources; two independent major-music-press obituaries plus a specialist buyer's guide corroborating the Chess tenure). CTL treatment: no CTL people file; subject of 29 CTL research files per the 2026-10-15 corpus gap scan. Statistic carried: 6 Grammy Awards (NME obituary, January 2012, checked 2026-10-15).

Relationships

• Chess Records — recorded for
  Signed with Chicago-based Chess Records in 1960; debut album At Last! released that year on Chess imprint Argo; remained at Chess roughly eighteen years.

Sources

• TheWrap (Associated Press reporting), “Etta James, 'At Last' Singer, Dies at 73” (Jan. 20, 2012) — https://www.thewrap.com/etta-james-last-singer-dies-73-33732/ (primary source)
• NME, “Etta James dead at 73” (Jan. 20, 2012) — https://www.nme.com/news/music/etta-james-5-1273716
• Louder (Classic Rock), “Etta James: Buyer's Guide” — https://www.loudersound.com/features/etta-james-buyer-s-guide

Record CTL-E-5235 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: VERIFIED · 3 sources (1 primary) · 1 mapped relationship · CTL research: PPL-001.
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