"Come To Mama" (And A Million Other Songs) -Blues Diva Etta James Passes On At 73

Click on the headline to link to an article on the passing of blues great Etta James.

From the American Left History blog:

Thursday, July 02, 2009

"Come To Mama"- The Blues Of Etta James

This is a little quick entry for a blues queen that I will write more, much more, about later in connection with a review of "Cadillac Blues", a film based on the history of Chicago's Chess Records that gave Etta her start. Feast on.
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Here is a little tribute to a kindred spirit that the old time blues singer, Sippy Wallace, would call "sister".

"Come To Mama”- The Blues Of Ms. Etta James

Etta James And The Roots Band: Burning Down The House, Etta James and various artists, NTSC, 2001

The name Etta James goes back in my memory to associations with my first listening to rock music on the old transistor radio in the late 1950’s. At that time, I believe, her music was in the old doo wop tradition of the late 1950’s, a music that I was fairly soon to dismiss out of hand as the ‘bubble gum’ music that was prevalent in that period between the height of Elvis/Jerry Lee/Carl Perkins classic rock & rock and the Beatles and The Rolling Stones. That is where things were left until a dozen years ago or more when Etta ‘stole the show’ at the Newport Folk Festival. Well, we live and learn.

Here we have Etta, in a 2001 concert being recorded for this album, doing all the songs that she is justly famous for like “Born Blue” and “I Rather Be A Blind Girl” as well as some nice covers in her own style of the likes of Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild”. Just a nice solid performance with a good back up band, including a couple of her sons.
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Etta James- "Come To Mama" Lyrics

If the Sun goes behind the clouds
And you feel it's gonna rain
And if the moon ain't shinin bright
And the Stars, the Stars
Won't shine for you tonight
If your life is hard to understand
And your lovelife is out of hand
Oh, Come to Mama
Come on to Mama

If you need, if you need a satisfyer
Let me be, let me be your pacifyer
And if you feel, feelin like a horse
Chompin at the bit
Call my number 777-6969, I'll give you a fix
Cause I've got your favorite toy
Guaranteed to bring you joy
Come to Mama
Come on to Mama

Lead Solo


If your soul is on fire
Let me take you to the corner of the sky
Hey - Come to Mama
Come on to Mama

Come to Mama
Come on come on to Mama
COME ON TO MAMA.....