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Robynmarie
Veteran Poster
Username: Robynmarie
Post Number: 889
Registered: 04-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 11:42 am: | 
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5W5ZgGrrPc
Perhaps this is way they didn't ask Etta to sing "At Last" |
Troy
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 1664
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 01:20 pm: |
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Hummm... it is unfortunate Etta feels upset by all of this. I think Etta should have sung the song at the inauguration. At least a duet.
I wonder how she feels about her protrayal, as well as the other characters, in Cadillac Records.
It is a great song. Beyonce, though she does a very commendable job, at least makes me want to hear the Etta's original (sort of like Seal's latest CD).
I wonder if Beyonce's version of At Last would have become the classic that Etta made it. |
Jackie
Veteran Poster
Username: Jackie
Post Number: 665
Registered: 04-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 01:56 pm: |
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Etta sounds like she's talking with a cigarette hanging off her lip. |
Thumper
Veteran Poster
Username: Thumper
Post Number: 781
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 04:34 pm: |
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Hello All,
First Aretha, now Etta, Beyonce aint getting along with the elders is she?
It sounds as if Etta's feelings are hurt. I'm not going to lie, I was surprised that Beyonce sang the song instead of Etta at the inaugruation. It wasn't as if Etta's dead or something. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 13502
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 04:50 pm: |
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Beyonce imitated Etta's version of "At Last" note-for-note. Selene Dion also did this in her recording of this song.
In comparison to how "At Last" was originally sung, Etta really made it her own in the way she interpreted it. So she does deserve some props.
BTW, "At Last" is an old standard which first came out in 1941 when it was a hit record for a vocal group who sang with Glen Miller, the leader of a white swing band...
Back in my high school days, my first crush inpired me to stand in front of the bathroom mirror and croooooon at last, my love has come along..." |
Thumper
Veteran Poster
Username: Thumper
Post Number: 782
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 05:56 pm: |
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Hello All,
Hopefully I can shine a light on some of this. I read both Etta James and Ruth Brown autobiographies. Both singers recall times when they met and performed before their heros: Ruth with Billie Holiday and Etta with Dinah Washington. Both of the stories are similar. When Ruth and Etta found out that their idols were in the audience, both changed their programs to sing Billie's and Dinah's songs as a tribute to them. Neither Billie nor Dinah were impressed. Ruth said that when Billie realized that she was singing Billie's songs, Billie quietly got up and left. When ruth came off stage wondering what had happened, she found Billie in her dressing room. Billie told her that she did not appreciate what Ruth did. Even though Ruth was singing her songs, in her style, all Ruth did was make the audience appreciate Billie, that they did not see or hear Ruth Brown. Ruth was crushed and Billie cheered her up and told her to don't imitate no one else to have her own style.
Now when Etta did that to Dinah, Dinah raised all kinds of hell. She said that Dinah stood up and shouted, Who's singing the Queen's songs!? Etta ran backstage and Dinah basically told her the same thing Billie told Ruth. Lesson learned, the two never made those mistakes again.
This leads me to Beyonce and Etta. I'm with you Cynique. Beyonce sung At Last note for note. Well, all that did was make everybody long for Etta, as Billie Holiday told Ruth Brown the audience would. It comes down to stealing. Here Beyonce sang At Last note for note like Etta but Beyonce is the one that sung it to the first AA president and not Etta. Why wasn't Etta given that place of honor? Celine Dion is a thief outright. I haven't heard her do an original take on ANY cover! I have heard Etta, Ruth, Billie and Dinah, all sing covers and you know that its them singing it, making it tailor fit for them. And Aretha, well, you all know she TAKES other people's songs and the original artist don't ever get them back. I think this type of ability is called "musicianship". Actually, truth be told, I haven't heard any of these singers sing their own songs the same way twice. You can't say that about these younger singers.
Now, I know people cracked on Aretha when she called Beyonce and Tina Turner on who was Queen. But, if you go back into musical history, those performers who earned those titles took those titles seriously. I often wonder if Aretha has gotten away with The Queen of Soul because Dinah Washington was dead at the time she got it. According to Dinah Washington's peoples accounts and her biography, Dinah took the Queen title dead serious. So, if Beyonce or even Tina Turner wants to get that title Queen for Aretha, they are going to have to do what they did back in the old days when one group wanted to take a monarchy from another group...they are going to have to fight it out. In this case, take it to the stage. |
Ferociouskitty
Veteran Poster
Username: Ferociouskitty
Post Number: 599
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 07:23 pm: |
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So, if Beyonce or even Tina Turner wants to get that title Queen for Aretha, they are going to have to do what they did back in the old days when one group wanted to take a monarchy from another group...they are going to have to fight it out. In this case, take it to the stage.
Oh, lawd...it's like "Showtime at the Apollo" meets "You Got Served"!
But seriously...thanks for the history, Thumper. Good stuff. |
Ferociouskitty
Veteran Poster
Username: Ferociouskitty
Post Number: 600
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 07:35 pm: |
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I wonder if Beyonce's version of At Last would have become the classic that Etta made it.
Good question. I hate to generalize--but I will! "At Last" isn't "Single Ladies"-enough for Beyonce's core fan base. And fans of "At Last" likely aren't and won't become die-hard Beyonce fans.
It begs the question of whether or not today's stars possess the staying power and the chops to have signature songs that endure more than 6 decades and more.
Actually, it's not really about staying power. If Etta James never sang another note after 1941 (per Cynique), "At Last" would still be her signature song and would still have endured to this day. I loved that song long before I knew who Etta James was.
So, I guess it's really about a combination of talent and the right material, both of which are able to transcend persona and "looks" (or whatever the trend of the day is). Are we seeing that kind of aligning of planets these days? |
Robynmarie
Veteran Poster
Username: Robynmarie
Post Number: 890
Registered: 04-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 08:39 pm: |
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We can all agree that Etta James through all her drug problems is still a great talent. But why bash Beyonce? Ella sounds like a straight hater(with a cigarette between her lips. LOL).
BTW, what did the Prez ever do to Ella? Methinks Ms. Jones needs to take her own inventory. |
Robynmarie
Veteran Poster
Username: Robynmarie
Post Number: 891
Registered: 04-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 08:58 pm: |
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I meant to say ETTA, so sorry. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 13503
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 10:08 pm: |
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Whoa! The song "At Last" dates back to 1941 when it was written and first performed by white musicians. But Etta James didn't record it then. "At Last" was such a great ballad that it became a standard and just lasted down through the years. (It was in the the 1950s that I was singing it in the bathroom mirror.)
Etta's claim to fame is that in 1961 when she was signed by STAX records, she took this old song, that had been around for decades and recorded by many other artists, and sang it HER way.
Eventually Etta's version became a classic and is now enjoying increased popularity after this movie about STAX records came out. |
Thumper
Veteran Poster
Username: Thumper
Post Number: 783
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 10:28 pm: |
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Hello All,
Cynique: Etta recorded with CHESS Records, not Stax. And while I got you on the correction tip, At Last become more popular a few years ago when it was used in a series of commercials from Coca-Cola to others here in the US and Europe, especially the UK.
Stax Records was an offset of Atlantic Records, remeber the picture of the fingers snaping on the label? |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 13506
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 10:48 pm: |
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OK. Chess not Stax. Thank you.
Yep, Etta's version of "At Last" did enjoy a revival of popularity when it became associated with Coke commercials which was why I said it became "increasingly" popular with the release of this movie. 
I really just wanted to make it clear that Etta was too young to have made her version of AT Last in 1941.
And of course, she wasn't a one-hit wonder but had other best-sellers in her heyday. I always liked "Trust In Me" by her. It was very popular when it first came out. |
Ferociouskitty
Veteran Poster
Username: Ferociouskitty
Post Number: 604
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 11:16 pm: |
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Cynique: I misunderstood. Thanks for explaining.
I remember those Coke commercials! ;-) |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 7736
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 06, 2009 - 10:08 am: |
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Haw haw! You think blowing the stimulus package and the nominations was bad.
Obama stepped in it now!
Is the Honeymoon Over? |
Yvettep
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Yvettep
Post Number: 3418
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 06, 2009 - 10:40 am: |
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AMAZING post on this topic, complete with performance video clips:
http://diaryofananxiousblackwoman.blogspot.com/2009/02/history-of-black-womens-s inging-lurker.html
Love the line: It ain't over til the Black lady sings! |
Moonsigns
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Moonsigns
Post Number: 2081
Registered: 07-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 06, 2009 - 08:16 pm: |
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I heard a clip of it on the radio. It gave me a good chuckle as she surely doesn't give a sh*t what anyone thinks! |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 13512
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 06, 2009 - 09:24 pm: |
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The clip of that live version of Etta gettin down on "At Last" obviously doesn't sound that much like her original recording which became the classic that Beyonce imitated. Etta like any soul\jazz singer was improvising. Maybe Beyonce should learn the fine art of risk-taking when it comes to vocalizings.
I also just recently read that Jennifer Hudson was lip-synching the national anthem at the Super Bowl, as was Lisa Hartman on her solo. The producers of the half-time show requested that all of the singers pre-record so there wouldn't be any "vocal malfunctions" but Bruce Springsteen told them "no way" and performed live.
What a contrast between Nina Simone and Marian Anderson, two contraltos with different brands of soul. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 13513
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 06, 2009 - 09:26 pm: |
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Y'all know that ol feisty Etta is from my generation. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 7739
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 10:05 am: |
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Obama needs to fly her to the White House and butter her up to show he's sorry. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 7740
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 10:06 am: |
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The Negro supposed to be from Chicago, too. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 13517
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 11:43 am: |
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The one thing that takes the starch out of your jabs at me, chrishayden, is how one minute you try to portray me as a yokel from Mayberry, and the next minute as a native of big-time Chicago, neither of which are true.
I was not born or raised in Chicago. From my suburban vantage point I am an observer of Chicago, and the town I live in is not a rural little hamlet.
And I might add that from your vantage point in St Louis, you rarely know what you're talking about when it comes to anything about Chicago in this century. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 7743
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 11:54 am: |
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I know enough to be ready to hand over some cash to a cop up there if he asks if I don't want a ticket.
Say that don't happen so I can REALLY go to work on ye! |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 13519
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 07, 2009 - 02:53 pm: |
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It may or may not happen, just as is the case in any big city in this country. |
Kola_boof
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Kola_boof
Post Number: 4945
Registered: 02-2005
Rating: 
Votes: 4 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 01:14 am: |
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I've known Etta James for years.
She even once posted on this board
using her real name when Thumper and
I were going at "really ugly" and
everybody accused her of being
ME.
lol!
She says my book "Flesh & the Devil"
is one of her all time favorites
and related to the leading lady (a high
yellow girl w/green eyes being hated
and whipped by her equally high yellow
mother---for being 'high yella').
LOL!
Etta has never stopped raving about
the book or how deeply it touched her.
No one would know it from these
tapes of Etta cursing Beyonce---but
you couldn't find a sweeter, more
down to earth person than Etta James.
And when she says that she was just
"sassing and joking" on stage---she
isn't lying.
That's how Etta is...ALLLL THE TIME.
You should have heard her get on
me about my TITS on the back of the
book--you'd be rolling for a week.
She even went and got SWITCHES for
my tail.
So don't misunderstand Etta's "pain"
and feelings of being DISSED because
she wasn't asked to come sing the song
that she really has made into an
institution (imagine if Beyonce had
been asked to sing Aretha's "Respect"
instead of the Queen).
Etta is a Queen, too, she's paid her
dues (she truly has) and she just
wants a little respect and for people
to stop acting like she's dead.
She's a beautiful, very kindred spirit
who I love and understand dearly.
Our kinship started when she said, "Whurr
you get that mouth you got on you, heffa?"
ETTA is pure love.
___________
BTW, Martha Reeves
used to visit this board
"REGULARLY" when we had
the KOOL ROOM.
. |
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