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 * 20 January 2012**
 * Legendary blues singer Etta James embodied refined soul music**

Etta James was an African American blues singer. The article talks about all the obstacles Mrs. James went through during her lifetime. Neither of her parents was around when she was growing up. The owners of a rooming house raised James, where her mother once stayed. The Christian couple made James join the church choir where her voice was distinctively noticed. Bandleader Johnny Otis found her singing on the streets with a couple of friends and offered her to go to Los Angeles if she was able to get her mother permission. James forged her mother signature and wrote that she was 18 on the letter. James then started making records. For a while she only made notice to the black community, until she made her great hit “At Last”. James dealt with heroin addiction, which quickly led her career down the drain. Into her senior years James had gotten better with her addictions and her career came back alive when she preformed her best hit “ At Last” at the Los Angeles Olympic games. Bridging the gap between to races was such a big deal in the 1900’s. Leonard Chess highlighted in the article that Etta James getting more then the south people to listen to her music was great and that it could be away out for African American singers. Sidney Poitier was also a legend; he was an actor, film director, author and, a diplomat. Poiters was the first black person to win an Academy Award For Best Actor. With so many opening for the black community to get into America started to become more diverse because it was now acceptable for blacks to have the same jobs as whites. This was also away for white and black to connect. Not only did the black community try connecting with the black community but also, the white community tries connecting with the black community and it was a big success. Mrs. James did not only make good hits but she also opened up a path for soul singers. With James music it not only had black listeners but it also had white. The expansion of her soul blues music made the African American culture more known. Her music was new and different, which caught a lot of people attention. Her being able to open up a different style of music was a huge accomplishment. People like Etta James who was brave enough connect the whites and black in this crucial time was bold. With all of her hardship and work it paid off because it got America where it is today. Mrs. James will not only be remembered for making great hits but also will be remembered for making two races come together as one. 1. What made the people who bridged the gap do what they did? 2. What kept them motivated, even through their roughest times? 3. If people did not bridge out, how would America be as a country? 4. Did men or women tend to bridge out more? 5. Did they do anything to be noticed, even if they were not comfortable? 6. Was it more common for the people who struggle with life problems to step out and make a change?
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Works Cited "Legendary blues singer Etta James embodied refined soul music - CSMonitor.com." The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com. http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0120/Legendary-blues-singer-Etta-James-embodied-refined-soul-music (accessed January 26, 2012). "Sidney Poitier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Poitier (accessed January 26, 2012).

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