The Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, some time in the 1980's a couple of my sisters, my oldest daughter and I are at the place to hear Etta James perform, and she did. We were sitting upstairs, looking down, not too far, on the left side of the stage, at her and she was in full voice. She was raw in how she talked and sang, we loved it. So she sings a few songs and gets the inevitable request for, "I'd Rather Go Blind", from a guy next to our table. She let's him know she was a little tired of that request but she was going to sing it. Oh yeah, this guy was on the floor by the time she finishes, yelling, " Etta, Etta, sing it girl, oh yea baby". The crowd is yelling right along side him and just goes nuts when she sings Stevie Wonder's, "Birds of Paradise." She not only sings it, she does the birds noises in the background of Stevie's record. Just kill me. It's so good I think and then she slips on a pair of sunglasses and does a version of, "Born to Be Wild!" I fall out. I loved her from, "Dance with Me Henry" until now and forever. Saw her in person many times, always thrilled and amazed at the the songs she would do that no one expected out of her. Thank God there are her recordings and my memories of her.
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