| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Blues singer Etta James honored with Hollywood Walk of Fame star
Friday April 18, 2003LOS ANGELES (AP) R&B singer Etta James had no reason to sing the blues Friday as Hollywood honored her with a star on the Walk of Fame.
James, 65, is perhaps best known for her 1960 version of ``At last'' and is considered an influence on such singers as Diana Ross, Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt.
This year she was among the recipients of lifetime achievement awards from the Grammy organization, and won an award for best jazz vocal performance in 1995 for the song ``Mystery Lady,'' from a tribute album to the late Billie Holiday.
Nicknamed ``Matriarch of the Blues,'' her other hit songs include ``All I Could Do Was Cry,'' ``My Dearest Darling,'' ``Trust in Me'' and ``Tell Mama.''
Born Jamesetta Hawkins, the singer was discovered in 1954 by bandleader Johnny Otis in San Francisco, who helped her become a teen singing star. Her song ``Roll With Me Henry'' from that year raised eyebrows with its saucy, sexy lyrics.
Her star was the 2,223 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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