Cracks In Sidewalks

Etta James – “Blind Girl”

I’ve been a big Etta James fan for a long time now.  That being said I decided that to start with Etta James it would be good to begin with a song that early on became one of her signature songs, “Blind Girl”.  The arrangement I’m including here is an arrangement of Etta singing “Blind Girl” in a duet with another great, Dr. John.

One of the first times I ever saw Etta James in concert was at an Oakland California Blues Festival.  She was the headliner and came on after the crowd had been very warmed up with 8 hours of previous blues acts.  The second she got on stage, she owned both the stage and the audience, completely playing to the crowd strutting “all” her stuff.  In front of me, there she was, Etta singing and shaking, being her full of personality sexy self with a voice that forces your body to get on its feet and move to the rhythm and command of her powerful sultry voice; and before you know it you and everyone around you find yourself happily and soulfully swimming in a sea of Etta’s magic.  She can be that powerful and move you to that degree, that is, when she feels it and when she wants to.

I’ve also seen her in many other smaller settings both east coast and west, and when she is on and in the mood, it will be one of the best concerts you will ever see.  But when she is not in the mood or you catch her being temperamental, I’ve been to shows where she came on, sang a few songs, and just walked off the stage.  That being said I have never regretted going to see an Etta James concert because even 5 songs is better then none, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad note leave her lips.  She is truly one of the masters of her genre.

But if you ever do have the pleasure of seeing her live, and she happens to be in a mood to really sing, let it out and play with the audience, it will be a concert you will never forget. You will be a fan for life imitating her performances and songs in the privacy of your own home, maybe for your own audience, ☺ ,wishing if only for one night you could sing, move, and emote like Etta.

A few tidbits about Etta James: She was born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938 in Los Angeles to an unmarried 14-year-old African-American mother, Dorothy Hawkins. She received her first professional vocal training at the age of five years old, from James Earle Hines, at the Echoes of Eden Choir at St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles.  Etta James is credited with being discovered by bandleader Johnny Otis.  As an up and coming young recording artist she caught the eye of “Little Richard” with whom she toured.  It is said that on this tour she became addicted to drugs, a habit that took years for her to break.  Etta James is probably best known for her song, “At Last”.   She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001.

To view this performance of Etta James and Dr. John singing “Blind Girl”, either click on the link below or cut and paste the link into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyMd19sE6U4

This entry was posted on Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 6:26 am and is filed under Daily Tune On. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.