Chitlin Circuit Veteran Etta James Dies

"Miss Peach," Etta James dies from leukemia at the age of 74

Singer Etta James Friday January 20 at the age of 74of leukemia. Born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938 in depression era Los Angeles, James grew up as the child of a troubled teenager. As a result of her mother's lack of stability, James had a hard childhood filled with abandonment and abuse that continued into adulthood. Perhaps it's this history that gave her the ability to sing the blues with such authenticity. Similar to Aretha Franklin, James developed her sultry singing style in a black Baptist church, made her living singing secular music, and struggled with overeating.  James’ secular singing career first started on the streets of San Francisco where in addition to overeating problem she developed several substance abuse problems. Most notably she made her mark in a cappella group called the peaches from which she derived the nickname Miss Peach which stuck until her death. Like Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown and others, James sang on the chitlin circuit with such notable artists such as Bo Diddley and little Richard. The chitlin circuit can be best described as a string of black owned and operated elaborate theaters and humble juke joints across the United States where entrepreneurs produced shows and sold iconic soul food dishes such as collard greens, fried fish, corn bread, sweet potato pie, and cheap cuts of pork, such as chitlins and pickled pig’s feet. Below find related links. And please share your comments below.

Etta James Photo Gallery: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-etta-james-obit-pictures,0,1599817.photogallery

Etta James Radio Interview: [Listen 19 min 5 sec] http://www.npr.org/2012/01/20/138985700/etta-james-the-1994-fresh-air-interview

The Best of Etta James' Songs: [5 Videos] http://www.npr.org/2012/01/21/140810181/hear-5-etta-james-recordings

Etta James Obituaries: 

Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/etta-james-grammy-winning-blues-singer-with-pop-appeal-dies/2010/09/21/gIQApnhkDQ_story.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost

NPR: http://www.npr.org/2012/01/20/123125338/remembering-etta-james-stunning-singer

Book Discussion, The Chitlins Circuit and The Road to Rock 'N Roll: [Listen 41 min] http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/07/18/the-chitlin-circuit

Jimi Hendrix and the Chitlin Circuit: http://www.foodasalens.com/search?q=Chitlin+Circuit

Peaches Recipes:

Traditional peach cobbler recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/peach_cobbler/

Vegan peach cobbler recipe: http://chetroy.com/healthyvegan/?p=185

Grilled peach recipes: http://hubpages.com/hub/Grilled_peaches_Three_ways_to_enjoy_ripe_local_peaches_on_the_BBQ