October 5, 2004
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu
The “Matriarch of the Blues” Etta James
performs with the Roots Band at UCSB Campbell Hall
Summary Facts:
- Etta James & the Roots Band
- Hailed as the “Matriarch of the Blues,” James is an inductee to the Blues and Rock ‘n’ Roll Halls of Fame
- James is a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award
- Monday, November 8 / 8 pm
- UCSB Campbell Hall
- General public: $65 / UCSB students: $25
- Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535
Blues legend and recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award Etta James will perform with the Roots Band on Monday, November 8 at 8 pm at UCSB Campbell Hall. “The Matriarch of the Blues” and an inductee to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Etta James has unprecedented power and appeal as a passionate and soulful vocalist. From her first R&B hit, the provocative “Roll with Me Henry” in 1954, to her recent Grammy-nominated live CD Burnin’ Down the House, James has created an indelible body of vocal performances that have influenced numerous other singers, from Diana Ross to Bonnie Raitt, while entertaining millions of fans. One of those fans, revered film director Martin Scorsese, claims, “You can hear the pain of living in her voice—you can feel it. When you listen to her sing you understand that the voice belongs to someone who’s passed through the eye of a storm, and come out standing. Tall....I won’t forget to mention the backing band, fronted by her sons Donto and Sametto. To call their playing ‘tight’ is to put it mildly. This band can rock and roll with the best of them.”
In June 2004 Etta James released the CD Blues to the Bone, her authentic and authoritative renditions of twelve towering classics by blues greats like Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James and Lightnin’ Hopkins. With this CD she has triumphantly returned to the source of her own inspiration, the musical foundations of one of the most enduring and original careers in annals of modern music. On Blues to the Bone James has come full circle to create an homage to blues pioneers from an artist who is a pioneer herself. Reviewing the album USA Today wrote, “You can’t turn on the TV these days without some warbling wannabe trying to gain credibility with James’ classic “At Last.” But those newbies have miles to go to catch up to the genuine article. James did that song 40 years ago, and she’s still a revelation. And though songs such as “Crawlin’ Kingsnake,” “Got My Mojo Working,” “Driving Wheel” and “Dust My Broom” are usually done from a male point of view, James sees to it that they retain all their raw power and acerbic wit. She doesn’t just deliver the words, she gets at their marrow.”
Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles on January 25, 1938. She received her first professional vocal training at the age of 5 from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden Choir at St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Her family moved to San Francisco, California in 1950, and in 1952 her trio the Creolettes came to the attention of bandleader and talent scout Johnny Otis. Otis produced her first hit, the saucy “Dance with Me Henry,” which immediately topped R&B charts nationwide. Her tenure with the nonpareil blues label Chess Records began in 1960 and would continue for sixteen years with a string of landmark hits including her signature version of “At Last,” “All I Could Do Was Cry,” “My Dearest Darling,” “Trust In Me,” “Something’s Got A Hold On Me,” “Tell Mama,” “Fool That I Am” and “Don’t Cry Baby.” Together they comprised a run of charting records that ranked James third, just behind Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick, as the most prolific female R&B vocalist of her era. James would continue to make definitive blues, soul and R&B music over the next four decades, including her acclaimed 2003 release Let’s Roll, and garnering a reputation as a world class live performer in the process.
Etta James & the Roots Band are presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and sponsored by the Santa Barbara Independent, KTYD-FM, the Santa Barbara Inn and Longoria Winery. Tickets for the concert are $65 for the general public and $25 for UCSB students. They are on sale now and can also be purchased at the door, if still available.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.