![]() ![]() Jamesetta became especially close to her foster mother, Lula "Mama Lu" Rogers. Because Dorothy Hawkins led a somewhat wild, Bohemian lifestyle, Jamesetta was left in the care of a middle-aged couple named Rogers. In her 1995 autobiography, Rage to Survive, James put forth her belief that pool legend Minnesota Fats was her real father. Her mother, Dorothy, was only 14 years old when Jamesetta was born, and she never directly revealed the identity of Jamesetta's father. James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938, in Los Angeles, California. By the turn of the century, James had become a legend. In the 1990s, James finally gained widespread recognition as one of the most gifted singers of her time, much to the delight of hardcore fans who have remained loyal since she recorded her first hits as a teenager in the 1950s. Although her powerful voice has handled each type of material with equal skill, this style-hopping has made it hard for the music industry to categorize her. At various career stages she has been a rhythm-and-blues belter, a blues crooner, and a rock-and-roll screamer. For decades she subverted her own success by maintaining a reckless lifestyle that included serious drug abuse and a number of questionable love-life decisions. Her singing career, more than 50 years long, has included more highs and lows than her vocal range. Etta James may have surprised herself by living long enough to become a big star. ![]()
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