大象传媒

Candi Staton celebrates the life of Etta James, who died in 2012. First broadcast in 2006.

In the mid 1960s, Etta James became embroiled in drug addiction. Despite this, she managed to record some classic tracks at the famous Muscle Shoals recording studio in Alabama, including the Tell Mama album.

We hear about the recording of one of her biggest hits, including the ballad I'd Rather Go Blind and how the impact of that record, and subsequent UK cover versions by Chicken Shack and Rod Stewart, launched Etta internationally.

Josh and singer Sugar Pie Desanto witnessed Etta at her most irascible, and we hear about her reputation as someone "not to mess with", alongside her mistrust of the music business.

The singer was at an all time low, and her tour manager Phil Kaufman remembers how disappointed he was to meet Etta in this sorry state. He describes the job he had, keeping her away from drugs, and allowing her to do what she did best, "singing and dazzling audiences". We hear of Etta's love for Otis Redding and how she had planned to record a duets album with him shortly before his death in 1967.

The 1970s funk scene influenced Etta and resulted in some hard-hitting tracks like Tighten Up Your Own Thing, All The Way Down, and Out On The Street Again. Brian Ray was Etta's musical director during this time, and he explains how Etta was a real taskmaster when it came to her band. The song Feelin' Uneasy is a heart-wrenching groove, with Etta howling over it, and Brian Ray is still haunted by that recording session, when he witnessed Etta's emotional battle with drug abuse. This was part of a failed comeback, but in part three, we hear how she eventually beat drugs and relaunched her career.