Etta James, RIP

4:41 PM GMT 20/01/2012

Etta James, the legendary soul singer, has died at the age of 73. It is understood that she passed away in California following complications from leukemia.

Born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles in 1938, Etta was a rebel from the beginning. In her autobiography, Rage To Survive, she wrote: "I was serious about turning little churchgoing Jamesetta into a tough bitch called Etta James. I didn't know that I didn't know who I was. I grew a hard shell." At 14, her group the Creolettes auditioned for R&B impresario Johnny Otis. Immediately impressed, Otis took the group under his wing, changed their name to the Peaches and secured them a deal with Modern Records. The first song she recorded, Roll With Me, Henry, was an instant hit, James' smoky vocals combining elements of blues, jazz and doo-wop. She signed to Chess in 1960, releasing her debut album At Last! the same year. The LP contained two of her most enduring songs - I Just Want To Make Love To You and the title track.

In 1967 she was booked into FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals with producer Rick Hall. The resulting album was the following year's Tell Mama. Bolstered by the astonishing heartbreak ballad I'd Rather Go Blind and hits in the form of the rocking title track and a cover of Otis Redding's Security, the record would prove one of her finest. She continued to record, releasing more than 40 albums during her career. Her last LP, The Dreamer, was released in 2011.

Beset by periods of drug addiction, James' life was as intense and raging as her voice. Listen to her amazing songs and you can hear the pain and anger in every single note.

MOJO's thoughts are with Etta's friends and family.

A full obituary will appear in MOJO magazine.