When Etta James found herself calling small clubs during her comeback attempts, she’d ask a question that seems almost unthinkable today: “Have you ever heard of Etta James?” That moment of anonymity—and the guts it took to claw her way back—frames MUSE/IQUE’s season-closing tribute to the Los Angeles-born legend whose voice bridged gospel, blues and rock ‘n’ roll.
“Have You Ever Heard of Etta James? The Guts and Triumph of an American Icon” comes to the Skirball Cultural Center on Sunday, Oct. 19, following performances at the Huntington in San Marino on Tuesday, Oct. 14, and Wednesday, Oct. 15.
The production features vocalists LaVance Colley, Gaby Moreno and Vanessa Bryan, accompanied by the DC6 Singers Collective, performing selections including “This Little Light of Mine,” “When the Saints Go Marching In” and James’s signature “At Last.”
The event concludes MUSE/IQUE’s season, “Make Some Noise: Music and Stories of American Defiance and Hope.” As Rachael Worby, the organization’s artistic and music director, notes: “When artists take bold risks and make brave choices, they show us that anything is possible.”
Born Jamesetta Hawkins on Jan. 25, 1938, in Los Angeles, James died on Jan. 20, 2012, in Riverside, California. Her musical range spanned gospel, blues, jazz, R&B and rock, producing major hits including “The Wallflower” (1955), “At Last” (1960), “Tell Mama” (1967) and “I’d Rather Go Blind” (1967).
“Have You Ever Heard of Etta James? The Guts and Triumph of an American Icon” will run on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. For more call (626) 844-7703 or visit https://www.muse-ique.com/have-you-ever-heard-of-etta-james. Tickets: $75.
