Etta James was born as Jamesetta Hawkins on 25th January 1938, in Los Angeles, California USA, and was a singer who was known for performing in several genres including blues, R&B, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, and gospel. She was a Grammy Award-winning musician, inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. James’ career started in 1954 and ended in 2012 with her passing in January of that year.
Have you ever wondered how rich Etta James was at the time of her death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that James’ net worth was as high as $16 million, an amount earned through her successful career in music. In addition to being one of the best American singers of the time with 30 studio albums recorded, Etta also released several compilations and live albums which improved her wealth.
Etta James Net Worth $16 Million
Etta James was a daughter of Dorothy Hawkins, who was only 14 when she delivered her, while the identity of the father is unknown. Etta grew up in Los Angeles and learned to sing at the age of five, thanks to musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir at the St. Paul Baptist Church, James Earle Hines, However, Hines forced Etta to sing for his drunken friend early in the morning, often beating and molesting her. When Etta was 12, her mother took her to the Fillmore district of San Francisco, and two years later, she met musician Johnny Otis who helped her girl group the Creolettes to sign with Modern Records in 1954. They changed their name to The Peaches, and together with Otis they recorded a song “Dance With Me, Henry” in 1955, which reached No. 1 on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Tracks chart. Her net worth was established.
The success of the song secured The Peaches an opening spot on Little Richard’s national tour, but after her contract with Modern Records expired, she signed a deal with Chess Records in 1960. Soon after, Etta released her debut studio album called “At Last!, which reached No. 68 on the Billboard 200 chart. The singles “All I Could Do Was Cry”, “My Dearest Darling”, “At Last’, and “Trust in Me” were particularly successful and reached the Top 5 on the R&B Singles chart. In 1963, James recorded her fifth studio album “Etta James Top Ten”, and it peaked at the No. 117 on Billboard 200, with the singles “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”, “Stop the Wedding”, and “Pushover” being the most popular ones. Her net worth was growing steadily.
In 1968, her eighth studio album called “Tell Mama” came out and it reached the No. 82 on the Billboard 200 and No. 21 on R&B Album charts. In the ‘70s, Etta recorded six more albums, but only two of them were notable – “Etta James” (1973) and “Come a Little Closer” (1976). The ’80 weren’t as successful as the previous decade, but in 1994 she released “Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday”, which reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart and won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. By the end of the ‘90s, James had released “Time After Time” (1995), “Life, Love & the Blues” (1998), “12 Songs of Christmas” (1998), and “Heart of a Woman” (1999), all of which reached the Top 5 on Billboard’s Blues Album chart.
In 2000, Etta recorded “Matriarch of the Blues”, which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard Top Blues Albums chart, and the next year, her “Blue Gardenia” topped the Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart, while “Let’s Roll” (2004) topped the Billboard Blues Albums chart and won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album of the year. In 2004, Etta’s 29th studio album “Blues to the Bone” won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. Her final release was “The Dreamer” in 2011, and it reached No. 2 on Billboard Blues Albums and No. 41 on R&B charts. She also recorded eight live and 11 compilations albums that helped her to increase her net worth significantly.
Regarding her personal life, Etta James married Artis Mills in 1969 and had two sons with him: Donto and Sametto. In 1971, both of them were arrested for heroin possession, but Mills took the responsibility and served ten years in jail. In 1974 and 1975, Etta was in the Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital for 17 months, and went through painful rehabilitation treatment. She later entered the Betty Ford Center, in Palm Springs, California, and received treatment for a dependency on painkillers. James was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008, and then in 2011with leukemia. Etta died just two days before her 74th birthday in January 2012. and died on the 20th and died on the 20th January 2012 in Riverside, California, USA. in Riverside, California, USA.
