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Buy 2 or more classes at the same time and save 25% off the total.

Etta James and Ray Charles: Lives, Times and Music

Save 25% when purchasing this with other classes from this semester.

$50.00

Instructor: Pamela Rose
Mondays, January 13, 27, February 3 (no class on January 20)
3-week session. Cost:  $50

Course Description:
Few singers touch our souls as deeply as Etta James and Ray Charles.  They took our breath away with naked emotional truth, whether crooning tenderly or smoking ‘em down.   But each also transcended music labels, straddling jazz, blues, country, R & B, gospel, by creating their own unique soulful sound that was bigger than any genre. All the more extraordinary in light of the fact that both Etta and Ray had to survive childhood  trauma, then fight Jim Crow laws on the road, they stood up for themselves as they carved out a unique place in music that we now call ‘soul’.

With in-depth biographical detail, archival footage and sing-a-longs, we will explore the lives, times and music of these two Soul Masters.

Course Details:

Week One:
Etta James –  Early Years
Left in a boarding house by her 14-year old mother, young Etta became a child gospel star at 6, was discovered in San Francisco by Johnny Otis and put on the road at age 15.  We’ll learn how her years at Chess Records in Chicago made her a genuine recording star, giving us songs like ‘At Last’ which never grow old.  Despite all that success, a growing drug habit took her down hard.

Week Two:
Etta & Ray
     Etta James – Up From the Ashes Crawling out from a lifetime of pain and addiction, Etta managed to resurrect her life and her career, while developing a stage presence that was mesmerizing to behold.

     Ray Charles – Early Years Learning to boogie woogie at age 3, blinded at age 4, orphaned at 14, young Ray learned to navigate the world on his own through his music.  Learning the music business on the road, he soaked up jazz, country, gospel and blues becoming a highly sought-after artist.  We’ll explore the evolution of his sound and his early recordings, and his explosive entry into the Billboard Top Ten with his signing with Atlantic Records.

Week Three:
Ray Charles – Breaking All the Rules
In the 1960’s, Ray began to chafe at his being labelled as an R & B artist and went back to his roots – country, gospel and jazz, all the while earning the nickname his fellow musicians called him: ‘Genius’.  We’ll learn about how he handled his addictions, (‘heroin, cigarettes and women’ according to Ray) while battling legal troubles and taking part in the Civil Rights movement – till he finally became one of the most recognizable voices of our generation.

Suggested Reading:
Rage to Survive:  The Etta James Story
By David Ritz and Etta James

Brother Ray:  Ray Charles’ Own Story
By David Ritz and Ray Charles

Ray Charles:  Man and Music
By Michael Lydon

Rhythm and the Blues
Jerry Wexler and David Ritz

Suggested Movies:
Ray

Cadillac Records

Suggested Listening:
Ray Charles:
Genius + Soul = Jazz
Modern Sounds in Country and Western
The Best of Ray Charles:  The Atlantic Years

Etta James:
At Last
Tell Mama
Seven Year Itch
Mystery Lady:  Songs of Billie Holiday

Instructor Biography:
Pamela Rose is a San Francisco jazz and blues vocalist who has thrilled audiences locally and internationally with her swinging, soulful style.  With 7 recordings under her name, Rose also has toured nationally with her shows celebrating remarkable women in blues and jazz.  Her latest show, a theatrical ensemble concert piece, Blues is a Woman, is currently touring the West Coast.  Rose is on the faculty of the California Jazz Conservatory, and has presented many lectures about music and culture through Osher (OLLI) at U.C. Berkeley, Sonoma State and SF State.  More at www.pamelarose.com and www.bluesisawoman.com