etta james - blind girl. guest post by my aunt cindy.

yay, another guest post!  please feel free to contact me if any of (the five of) you want to put up a song!

today's post comes from my amazing aunt cindy.  as i've mentioned before, aunt cindy's piano-playing was one of my first musical memories.  (although my brother and i are the only music students in our family, there was hardly a family gathering without guitars, pianos, singing, and my papa keeping time by banging on the arms of his wheelchair.  i owe a lot to my family!)  anyways, i got an e-mail from aunt cindy yesterday and we talked about the unfortunate passing of etta james.  she was hoping i'd do a post about ms. james and i figured she'd do a better job than i.  as you'll see, she has a great way with words.  she chose an amazing song, too!

As far as my post goes, there's a lot I could say about Etta James, but anyone can look her up and read about her life. Most people probably know her for her song, "At Last." I love that one, especially when it was used for President Obama and the First Lady's first Inauguration dance. Beyonce did a fine job, but it would've been so cool to have had Etta sing it. Her voice gives me chills, and this song, "Blind Girl," just sends me right over the top. When I listen to it, I can feel her pain, and must admit that sometimes I cry. She reminds me of Janis Joplin (one of my all-time favs) when she belts out her most heartfelt feelings with such raw and gritty emotion. The world has lost another great singer. RIP, Ms. James.

well said, aunt cindy.  thank you!  love ya!

(you didn't think i'd let you do a guest post without posting this picture, did ya? :D)

enjoy,

-jglmnk