Famous "At Last" Singer Etta James Dies

Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles in 1938 and was already touring with Little Richard while still a teen. She struggled with drug abuse for decades.

"[S]he began experimenting with drugs as a teenager, and by the time she was 21 she was a heroin addict, and as the '60s wore on she found it increasingly difficult to balance her habit with her career....

"[I]n 1967 she began recording with producer Rick Hall at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and, adopting a tougher, grittier style, she bounced back onto the R&B charts with the tunes 'Tell Mama' and 'I'd Rather Go Blind.' —AllMusic.com

It has been reported that the Rolling Stone's Keith Richards offered her an opening spot on their tour in 1978 if she got clean and sober.

In 1993, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She won a Grammy (Best Jazz Vocal) in 1994 for her album Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday and in 2003 she was honored with The Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award.

The song "At Last" was written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon, long time collaborators in the first half of the 1900s. Harry Warren was responsible for a slew of standards including, "You'll Never Know," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "That's Amore," and many more.

At Last Lyrics as sung by Etta James

(Words and Music by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon)

At last, my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
Oh, yeah, at last
The skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clovers
The night I looked at you

I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to rest my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known

Oh, yeah when you smile, you smile
Oh, and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine
At last

Etta James - At Last - SATB - Sheet Music (Digital Download)

At Last