Etta James

American R&B/soul contralto vocalist (born January 25, 1938, Los Angeles, California, USA - died January 20, 2012, Riverside, California, USA), the most prominent female vocalist of the Chess label. Etta James was discovered as a teenager by Johnny Otis, with her first hit in 1955. She recorded for Modern Records (2) and Kent Records for the remainder of the 1950's.