Etta James, From Sweet to Raunchy
1/20/2012
Fans of Etta James knew this day was coming. Early last year, we heard of her battle with leukemia, and recent reports that the disease was terminal made our hearts sink. But the advance warning didn't lessen the grief we felt when we heard that she died early this morning.
 Etta James performs during the 2006 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans on Saturday, April 29, 2006.(AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)
James was best known for the lovely song that's been played at countless weddings and special occasions, including Barack Obama's inaugural ball. "At Last" has been recorded by dozens of artists, from Nat King Cole to Stevie Nicks to Beyonce, but it's Etta James's rendition that shines above all the others.
James sang those slow love songs like no one else. "A Sunday Kind of Love" displayed her talents as beautifully as her signature song did.
But it wasn't just sweet love songs that Etta James made shine. As a young, aspiring singer, she "always wanted to be raunchy." She got to fulfill that dream with her recent cover of the Guns N' Roses hard-rock classic "Welcome to the Jungle."
From sweet jazz to dirty blues, Etta James owned the songs she sang.
Written by Linnea Crowther
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