Jan
28
Orange County Escorts: “Sing like your life depends on it”: Etta James—1938-2012
January 28, 2012 | | Leave a Comment
Her addiction led to association with gangsters and criminals, and frequent convictions and jail terms. On one occasion she pawned her band’s instruments to buy heroin. Leonard Chess booked her into a clinic, but she managed only to contract tetanus.
She claimed she received no royalties from Chess and only survived by playing clubs.
Yet she was recording some of her strongest material. In 1967 she released a double-sided single of the driving “Tell Mama” and the aching “I’d Rather Go Blind”. Many of the younger singers who admired her, like Janis Joplin, did not survive the same punishing lifestyle. James always felt a sense of responsibility for Joplin’s early death.
In 1968 she married Artis Mills, a former pimp. More jail time followed. In 1972 both were arrested for possession of heroin. Mills took responsibility and served 10 years. James was committed to a psychiatric hospital.
See the full article from “World Socialist Web Site”