Etta James wants to 'whip' Beyonce for singing 'At Last' at the inauguration

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hPYMEf3uRK9WNTsvrV3aRX4G4kAQD965S2N00

Dueling divas: Etta James 'can't stand' Beyonce

39 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — We saw Beyonce play Etta James. We probably won't soon see the singing divas duet. The 71-year-old singer says in an audio clip that surfaced online Thursday that she would "whip" Beyonce for singing "her song" "At Last" at an inaugural ball for President Barack Obama.

"The great Beyonce ... I can't stand Beyonce," James said in the clip from a Jan. 31 concert at the Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam, British Columbia. "She has no business up there, singing up there on a big ol' president day, gonna be singing my song that I've been singing forever."

Beyonce portrayed James — and sang the 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren — in the film "Cadillac Records" last year.

[bliss_eternal]

1. I'm guessing...

...that the only reason that particular song was chosen, was to bring some much needed attention to the "Cadillac Records" soundtrack.

Though, I could probably be wrong. :shrug:

[robinlynne]

2. probably one of Michelle's or Barack's favorite songs.

[bliss_eternal]

14. Sure, that's possible, too...

:shrug:

[panader0]

3. I love Etta James--once saw her open for the Stones in Tucson

but if she doesn't have rights to the song..........

[Fireweed247]

4. They should have asked Etta James

but who can question the perfection of choosing that song....I'm still feeling it..... At last!!!!

[corruptmewithpower]

5. Beyonce, is she the one who does a sort of robotic dance selling TV

reception?

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. Yep, that's her doing the herky jerky dance

[tuvor]

6. It was Nat King Cole's song before it was Etta James'.

And it was Glenn Miller's song before it was Nat King Cole's.

[Greyhound]

7. If she had half the talent James does, I could a "passing of the torch" moment,

the problem is that Beyonce is a wholly manufactured corporate product, devoid of any discernible talent, that is unless she shares Nancy Raygun's purported skills.

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. There's a youtube of Beyonce singing 'at last' to Etta. A poor imitation

[rwenos]

11. Easy to Throw Stones

Let Etta have her snark. She's earned it. But even though Beyonce's singing is not always my style, she's a fine musician with a good voice. I've seen her sight read on television, and in a generation of rap-producing automatons she can actually support her tones, hit notes and execute obbligato runs with reasonable precision. Being an amateur jazz musician, I admire professional musicians and hesitate to throw stones.

Unless you gig regularly yourself, perhaps you should spare the harsh criticism, eh?

[Greyhound]

15. Please, you live in the LA area, I guarantee that there are a thousand better singers within

walking distance of your house right now.

Since when does packaged mediocrity warrant praise? You know, or should know, how it works there. I worked at WEA and saw this crap all the time.

Corporate music still sucks.

[firedupdem]

10. Beyonce campaigned for President Obama...this woman says

he ain't her President. Do a little googling and you'll see she's a bit off her rocker lately. It's not her song anyway...and I'm sure the people at the Neighborhood ball didn't want a drunken senior citizen on stage.

[underseasurveyor]

12. Well,,, can't win em all

over:shrug:

[Elwood P Dowd]

13. The father of DU member Jazzgirl did the arrangements for Etta's version of "At Last"

He is now deceased, but Jazzgirl knows many of the details about that song. If you're out there Jazzgirl, let us in on what you might know about this brouhaha.

[bliss_eternal]

16. James claims she was joking...

...per this article:

Etta James 'only joking' about Beyonce diss

Feb. 6, 2009, 2:15 PM EST

Tough gal Etta James was just cracking jokes when she told a Seattle audience that she "can't stand Beyonce," who covered James' most famous song at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball that followed President Obama's inauguration, according to the New York Daily News.

"I didn't really mean anything," the 71 year-old diva told the paper. "Even as a little child, I've always had that comedian kind of attitude. Nobody was getting mad at me in Seattle. They were all laughing, and it was funny."

------snip------

excerpt from:
http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=351253>1=28102

[demokatgurrl]

17. I like Etta James, but Beyonce did a beautiful rendition

of the sogn. I heard it too, by the way, and James said Obama was "not my President". WTF?