98 Quotes by Etta James

The music was thunder and joy. Lightning bolts of happiness and praise, foot-stomping, dance-shouting, good-feeling singing from the soul.

It feels so good to be happy.

When Malcolm X was assassinated I was working at the Apollo. They brought his body to the Unity Funeral Home, which was around the corner.

Country music has the great stories.

You know, YOUR President, the one with the big ears-he ain’t my President – had that woman singing for him at his Inauguration. She’s going to get her [expletive] whooped. How dare Beyonce sing MY song that I been singing forever. Now I’m going to sing it for y’all…

In some ways, it's my rage that keeps me going,

When I'm singing the blues, I'm singing life.

I’ve learned to live with rage. In some ways, it’s my rage that keeps me going. Without it, I would have been whipped long ago. With it, I got a lot more songs to sing.

My mother always wanted me to be a jazz singer, but I always wanted to be raunchy,