She spoke with a voice that was equal parts raw power and subtle knowledge.

In her century, Etta James had one of the best voices. She will always be known as the “matriarch of the blues,” immortalized through songs like “At Last,” “Tell Mama,” and “Sunday Kind of Love.”

Dorothy Hawkins, 14, gave birth to Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles. James’ white father was never recognized, although James conjectured that he might have been the pool player Rudolf “Minnesota Fats” Wanderone. James had a number of different carers while he was a child. At the age of five, James Earle Hines gave Emily her first professional singing instruction.

At the St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles, he oversaw the music for the Echoes of Eden choir. When her caregiver Mama Lu passed away in 1950, James’ true mother relocated her to San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood. James listened to doo-wop and was inspired within a few years.

She died January 20, 2012.

Who are Etta James’ siblings?

She had no known siblings.