so-treu:

Etta James - Roll With Me, Henry (1955)

She began singing at the St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles at 5 and turned to secular music as a teenager, forming a vocal group with two friends. She was 15 when she made her first record, “Roll With Me Henry,” which set her own lyrics to the tune of Hank Ballard and the Midnighters’ recent hit “Work With Me Annie.” When some disc jockeys complained that the title was too suggestive, it was changed to “The Wallflower,” although the record itself was not.

“The Wallflower” rose to No. 2 on the rhythm-and-blues charts in 1954. As was often the case in those days with records by black performers, a toned-down version was soon recorded by a white singer and found a wider audience: Georgia Gibbs’s version, with the title and lyric changed to “Dance With Me, Henry,” was a No. 1 pop hit in 1955. (Its success was not entirely bad news for Ms. James. She shared the songwriting royalties with Mr. Ballard and the bandleader and talent scout Johnny Otis, who had arranged for her recording session. Mr. Otis died on Tuesday.)

source: “Etta James, Singer, Dies at 73 (NYT)”

LYRICS:

(Hey baby, what do I have to do to make you love me too?)
You’ve got to roll with me Henry;
(Alright baby)
Roll with me Henry;
(Don’t mean maybe)
Roll with me Henry;
(Any ole time)
Roll with me Henry;
(Don’t change my mind)
Roll with me Henry;
You better roll it while the rollin’ is on
Roll on, roll on, roll on.

While the cats are ballin,
You better stop your stallin,
It’s intermission in a minute,
So you better get with it,
Roll with me Henry,
You better roll it while the rollin’ is on
Roll on, roll on, roll on,

Ooh, ooh, ooh ooh wee,
Henry, you ain’t movin me,
You better feel that boogie beat,
And get the lead out of your feet,

Roll with me Henry,
You better roll it while the rollin’ is on,

Will I ain’t teasin’
(Talk to me baby)
You better stop your freezin’
(All right, mama)
If you want romancin’
(Okay sugar)
You better learn some dancin’
(Mmm-hmm mm-hmm)
Roll with me Henry,
(All right mama)
You better roll it while the rollin’ is on,
Roll on, roll on, roll on.

(via iamdust)

[Photo post: 9 black and white photos of Etta James, in various states of glamour, power, and poise.]

missavagardner:

You can’t fake this music. You might be a great singer or a great musician but, in the need, that’s got nothing to do with it. It’s how you connect to the songs and to the history behind them. 

Jamesetta Hawkins aka Etta James (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012)

(via iamdust)

[Image: Photo of a young Etta James reading some sheet music and singing into a recording microphone.]

(via mistyknights)

thedailywhat:

RIP: Etta James, the legendary genre-spanning singer who gave the world many memorable hits including “At Last” and “The Wallflower,” has passed away. She was 73.

James, who was diagnosed with leukemia 2010, had been in poor health for some time.

Affectionately known as Miss Peaches, the Matriarch of R&B had multiple Grammys to her name, and was inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame.

Incidentally, the man who discovered James, Johnny Otis, passed away just yesterday.

Below: James sings “Something’s Got A Hold On Me” in 1962.

[cnn.]

(via bana05)