Etta James seriously ill (January 2010)

Subject: RE: Etta James seriously ill
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 30 Jan 10 - 12:07 PM

Ouch! That is rough. Can't say I blame her for beeing pissed off about Beyonce singing her song.

Alzhiemer's is a horrible condition. For the sufferer most of all in the early stages, when you know something's happening to you.

MRSA can cause dementia effect too. Poor lady.

Subject: Etta James seriously ill
From: Mary Katherine
Date: 30 Jan 10 - 11:29 AM

Hospitalized Etta James battling Alzheimer's, infection, son says

By Alan Duke, CNN
January 29, 2010

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Singer Etta James is hospitalized for
treatment of a serious infection, but her son said Friday he's more
concerned with her Alzheimer's diagnosis.

James, 72, was diagnosed with MRSA -- a bacterial infection resistant
to many antibiotics -- by doctors at a Los Angeles hospital where she
was admitted for treatment last week, Donto James told CNN.

Life has been difficult for James, best known for her 1961 hit "At
Last," since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a year ago, he
said.

"Right now she is very confused," her son said.

He described his mother as "quite combative ... fighting, biting --
I'm talking way off the chart."

"I am going to end up losing my mother if it keeps going on like
this," he said.

Donto James said he's hoping for more information about his mother's
condition.

"There has to be another doctor out there who can tell me what is
going on with my mother," he said.

Etta James' illness, he said, led her to the controversial comments at
a concert a year ago where she suggested pop star Beyonce should be
"whipped" for singing "At Last" for President Obama's inaugural ball.

"I can't stand Beyonce," she told a Seattle, Washington, audience.
"She has no business up there, singing up there on a big old president
day, gonna be singing my song that I've been singing forever."

She was upset about the inaugural, her son said, because "mother was
supposed to be hired, but she wasn't well."

He said she was also suffering from "drug-induced dementia," a result
of painkiller medications for a back injury. She has stopped taking
the drugs, he said.

Her son, who plays in Etta James' band, said he's been frustrated
because they've had to cancel several important shows -- including one
last summer at the Hollywood Bowl.

"I want my mother back onstage again," he said. "I know it can
happen."

Donto James said he was talking freely to CNN about his mother's
medical problems because he's hoping someone can help him understand
what is going on.

"It's 2010 and we should know something, should be able to diagnose,"
he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/01/29/etta.james.hospitalized/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Subject: ETTA JAMES - Nice Article
From: GUEST,Blues Lover
Date: 08 Jan 01 - 12:22 PM

Can be found here.

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January 8, 2001

By David John Farinella
Special to CNN Interactive

(CNN) - If Etta James worked in corporate America she'd had been given the silver watch, the golden parachute and thanked for her efforts long ago.

Happily, James is in a different universe, one that's inhabited by a few legendary names who consistently have offered poignant, soulful music.

During a career that's spanned 45 years, James has touched down on any number of musical styles. She's been a whirling blues dervish, a sultry jazz crooner, a pop music master and a R&B balladeer. James has rarely faltered, even during her lean times.

Matriarch of the Blues," her latest, is another example of how a legend works.

Over a 12-song set, she pours her throaty, gritty vocals over a healthy dose of the blues standards and pulls a few more traditional rock/pop songs into the blues arena. One example is "Miss You," a Rolling Stones rock ballad that James reworks masterfully.

Her cover of Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" opens this collection with passion and energy. Clearly, James believes in Dylan's message. The Roots Band, who has been her touring band for years, doesn't miss a step, either.

Over the past couple of years, James has turned to a number of other genres, but her voice lends itself best to the blues.

Thanks to James' ability to push and pull emotion through music, without becoming extravagantly emotive, this should be considered one of her finest hours.