FEATURE:
Groovelines
Etta James - At Last
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I think this might be…
one of the oldest songs that I have featured in Groovelines. I wanted to spend some time with Etta James’ classic, At Last. It is taken from the album of the same name. That album came out in 1960 and it was the debut from the Los Angeles-born legend. James bridged the gap between Rhythm and Blues and Rock and Roll. There are few singers as important as Etta James. Perhaps At Last is her best-known song. Over sixty years since its release, it is still celebrated and widely played. Although it is a very popular song at weddings, I feel the song has a bigger and more important legacy than that. It is such a sensationally beautiful and soulful song that ranks alongside the best ever recorded. I shall come to the track in a minute. Before then, I would advise people to order the new picture disc. This is what Rough Trade say:
“At Last!' is the debut studio album by American blues and soul artist Etta James, which includes the title song 'At Last'. The album was released on Argo Records in November of 1960 and was produced by Phil and Leonard Chess. After spending a few years in limbo after scoring her first R&B hits 'Dance With Me, Henry' and 'Good Rocking Daddy,' Etta James returned to the spotlight in 1961 with her first Chess release, 'At Last'. James made both the R&B and pop charts with the album's title cut, 'All I Could Do Was Cry,' and 'Trust in Me.' What makes 'At Last' a great album is not only the solid hits it contains, but also the strong variety of material throughout. James expertly handles jazz standards like 'Stormy Weather' and 'A Sunday Kind of Love,' as well as Willie Dixon's blues classic 'I Just Want to Make Love to You.' James demonstrates her keen facility on the title track in particular, as she easily moves from powerful blues shouting to more subtle, airy phrasing; her Ruth Brown-inspired, bad-girl growl only adds to the intensity. James would go on to even greater success with later hits like 'Tell Mama,' but on 'At Last' one hears the singer at her peak in a swinging and varied program of blues, R&B, and jazz standards.LP - 180 Gram Vinyl”.
I am going to come onto an article which took a closer look at the Etta James classic. Just before then, I want to bring in a Wikipedia article. They discuss the history of an iconic and hugely popular track:
“At Last" is a song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film Sun Valley Serenade (1941). Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded the tune several times, with a 1942 version reaching number two on the US Billboard pop music chart.
In 1960, rhythm and blues singer Etta James recorded an arrangement by Riley Hampton that improvised on Warren's melody. James' version was the title track on her debut album At Last! (1960) and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Celine Dion and Beyoncé also had chart successes with the song”.
Even if you are not a fan of the older Blues and R&B sound, then songs like At Last! transcend barriers. They have a timelessness about them. It is amazing to think that the song entered the charts over sixty years ago! As I said, there is this timeless aspect to At Last! I have been listening to the song since I was a child. It always causes a strong reaction. That is in no small part down to James’ incredible vocal performance.
This is the article that I wanted to illustrate. Although Etta James started out in music years before At Last was released, 1960 was a very busy, big and important year for her:
“It took 51 years to make the UK Top 40, and even then only just, but it’s widely accepted as an absolute classic nevertheless. On January 16, 1961, just ahead of her 23rd birthday, a certain Jamesetta Hawkins was entering the American pop and R&B charts with “At Last.” We know her better as Etta James.
The composers wrote it for the wartime movie Orchestra Wives, in which it was performed by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, with vocals by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday. One of no fewer than 21 songs that Miller placed on Billboard’s charts in 1942, it reached No.9 in the US on the Victor label. As that version entered the popularity lists, Etta was three months off her fifth birthday.
Etta had her first R&B chart entry when she was just 17, and started like she meant business. “The Wallflower,” the answer record to Hank Ballard’s “Work With Me Annie,” went to No.1, credited to Etta James and the Peaches. She was denied crossover success by the Georgia Gibbs version, which topped the pop chart, and after a Top 10 R&B follow-up with “Good Rockin’ Daddy,” it would be five years before James charted again.
When she did, she made up for lost time. She had four soul and pop entries in 1960, two of them duets with Harvey Fuqua, including their version of “Spoonful.” Then came “At Last,” which only reached No.47 pop, but went to No.2 R&B.
The song didn’t make it across the Atlantic at the time, but gained the respect of the modern generation with widespread exposure, including a Grammy Hall of Fame placing in 1999. It made the UK chart for the first time in 2010 and finally reached No.39 immediately after Etta’s death, in January 2012”.
I wanted to highlight the merits of a true classic. Across the world, so many people have taken Etta James’ At Last to heart. It has lost none of its power and sublime beauty over sixty years since it was released. It is one of those tracks that gets into the heart and stirs the emotions. At Last is the incredible title track from what must rank alongside…
THE most important debut albums ever.