Get ready for a HUGE dose of name-dropping. A wide range of stars have commented on the death Friday morning of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Etta James[/lastfm] at the age 73:
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Aretha Franklin[/lastfm]: “Etta James was one of the great soul singers of our generation. An American original! I loved ‘Pushover,’ ‘At Last’ and almost any- and everything she recorded!!! When Etta SUNG, you heard it!”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Darlene Love[/lastfm]: “I will continue to honor my fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Etta James in all of my upcoming shows by performing her classic hit ‘At Last’.”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Graham Nash[/lastfm]: “One of the biggest smiles I remember was on the face of my friend Ahmet Ertegun, founder and moving force behind Atlantic Records, as I introduced him to Etta… I was working at Conway Studios in Hollywood at the same time that Etta was making a record… Strangley enough, Ahmet had never ever met Etta but he was a huge fan and was positively spell bound at the thought of meeting her… I’d never seen Ahmet so tongue-tied.”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Bryan Adams[/lastfm]: “Etta James …. one of the best voices of all time ….RIP.”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Paul Rodgers[/lastfm] of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Bad Company[/lastfm]: “A fine lady. A musical angel. Her spirit lives on in her music and will continue to inspire.”
- Former [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Yes[/lastfm] singer [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Jon Anderson[/lastfm]: “An amazing woman, I saw her sing so many years ago, total voice of power and truth…..her voice will live forever, as will she.”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]David Clayton-Thomas[/lastfm] of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Blood Sweat and Tears[/lastfm]: “I recorded a duet with Etta around 1971 on a solo album for RCA, [it] was the [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Sam & Dave[/lastfm] classic ‘When Somethin’ Is Wrong With My Baby.’ What a treat to sing with her… she will be missed.”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Mary Wilson[/lastfm] of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]The Supremes[/lastfm]: “I listened to her all my life. My CD collection has three shelves of her CDs. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Florence Ballard [/lastfm]used to sing her music all the time. Florence had a voice similar to Etta’s, rough, raw but [one that] could also be tender and sweet. She was a big star to those of us in the black community when I was growing up. Someone with her talent should have been a huge star, even now. I do not think we celebrate our own heroes the way other countries do their stars; they knight them. We celebrate them after they die.”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Slash[/lastfm] of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Guns ‘n’ Roses[/lastfm]: “Etta James was one of the most iconic, influential blues singers of all time. Male or female. It’s really as simple as that. She was the bar. Nobody is going to replace that voice.”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Peter Rivera[/lastfm] of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Rare Earth[/lastfm]: “Etta was one of my first influences. I loved her song ‘Trust In Me’ and I couldn’t stop playing it. She had a style that was on a par with [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Ray Charles[/lastfm] and will always be remembered as a pure soul class singer.”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Helen Reddy[/lastfm]: “Sorry that I never got to know Etta – a wonderful talent. Her ‘At Last’ never failed to bring me to tears. She is irreplaceable.”
- Deborah Bonham, sister of the late [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Led Zeppelin[/lastfm] drummer [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]John Bonham[/lastfm]: “From an early age I would listen to Etta sing — her passion and soul, strength and vulnerability made her unique, she lived her songs and made you live them with her… a true inspiration.”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Florence LaRue[/lastfm] of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]The Fifth Dimension[/lastfm]: “Etta James was a good example of being true to one’s self. This honesty was reflected in her singing. Though others tried to imitate her style, she never copied anyone else, but made the song she was singing hers! What a talent!!!”
- [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Shannon Tweed[/lastfm]-Simmons, the wife of [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Gene Simmons[/lastfm]: “Etta James, you have been an inspiration to my family for our lifetime. Thank you, RIP.”
- Actress [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Jessica Alba[/lastfm] (via Twitter): “You are a legend and one of my all time faves — thank you for giving us all the gift of song. What a voice!”
- Guitarist [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Dennis Coffey[/lastfm]: “Her performance on ‘At Last’ was legendary. She was a great singer.”
- Actress [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Kirstie Alley[/lastfm] (via Twitter): “At last my love has come along… my lonely days are over….RIP Etta James.”
- Actress [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Melissa Gilbert[/lastfm] (via Twitter): “At Last… Rest well Etta. You will be missed but, your music is eternal.”
R.I.P., Etta. In Rock & Roll Heaven, AT LAST. ~JZ.
More stories you’ll K-LUV:
