Etta James has died. She was one of the greats. Hers was a no BS approach. She was what she was, and she was unapologetic about it. Her rough edges stunned many. But her music... her music was beautiful. I consider it a great privilege that I was able to see her before she died.

I love the Blues. Seeing her deliver with such authenticity was refreshing and inspiring. She took the audience right t...o the bars and alleys where her story was honed. She was the real thing. I will always admire her for that.

She was crass. She was vulgar. She led a very rough life and she made no attempt to dress it up. In short, she was honest. More honest than most. In a world full of carefully calculated pop stars- more about image than substance- Etta James was a very welcome dose of in-your-face reality. Her show was, to some, quite offensive. To me, it was a breath of fresh air. It was real. She was real. She was not merely a performer going through the motions. She laid herself bare. There was no pretense. Hers was a voice so honest it allowed you to see her heart. The good and the bad. That's a rare form of courage.

And her music... Oh my... her music was so beautiful.

Rest in peace, Etta.

Too bad all belligerent drug addicts can't sing like she did.

Yeah, it really is.

...what was that parable about casting stones, again?

... maybe that old saw Thumper said to Bambi (or was it vice versa?) ..."if you can't say anything nice, don't say nothin' at all"

...or maybe even that old schoolyard retort..."it takes one to know one" ...

What is wrong with you?



Strider, she was a belligerent drug addict.
But dang, she could really, really sing a song.
You want to be dishonest about what she was because she's dead?
Knock yourself out.

Btw, Thumper's father said that, and Thumper recited it back to his mother.

Not a good likeness.