{"id":10051,"date":"2019-04-18T14:51:18","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T21:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/?p=10051"},"modified":"2019-04-18T15:30:37","modified_gmt":"2019-04-18T22:30:37","slug":"at-last-the-etta-james-song-that-richard-berry-recorded-6-years-earlier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/?p=10051","title":{"rendered":"At Last! (the Etta James song that Richard Berry recorded 6 years earlier)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ettaJames-Hollywood-star_2013.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"860\" height=\"668\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ettaJames-Hollywood-star_2013.jpg 860w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ettaJames-Hollywood-star_2013-300x233.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ettaJames-Hollywood-star_2013-768x597.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ettaJames-Hollywood-star_2013-150x117.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/ettaJames-Hollywood-star_2013-400x311.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I just learned that today is the 16th anniversary of the moment in time when <strong>Etta James<\/strong> was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame April 18, 2003 in Hollywood, California.<\/p>\n<p>With this in mind, I thought I&#8217;d provide a little history lesson about a song that became Etta&#8217;s most popular recording.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/richard_berry_at_last_45.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"680\" height=\"378\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/richard_berry_at_last_45.jpg 680w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/richard_berry_at_last_45-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/richard_berry_at_last_45-150x83.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/richard_berry_at_last_45-400x222.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In 1954, a few years before <strong>Richard Berry<\/strong> wrote and recorded LOUIE LOUIE, he actually recorded a cover version of a song with <strong>the Dreamers<\/strong> (pre-Blossoms) that would later become a hit for his future friend Etta seven years later&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cUt8p5rSgqQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/cUt8p5rSgqQ\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/cUt8p5rSgqQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>On YouTube, mutleybird of ModCollectibles.com shared this clip of this version, with this description:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Richard Berry sings lead here. I mixed the piano &#038; background vocals to be heard better. The Dreamers are also <strong>Fanita Barrett, Jewell Cobbs, Patricia Howard, Gloria Jones, Annette Williams<\/strong>, and <strong>Nannette Williams<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The original version of this song was first shared as an instrumental in the 1941 musical film &#8220;<strong>Sun Valley Serenade<\/strong>,&#8221; then shared with full vocals in the 1942 musical film &#8220;<strong>Orchestra Wives<\/strong>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/sunValleySerenade.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"579\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/sunValleySerenade.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/sunValleySerenade-300x271.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/sunValleySerenade-150x136.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/sunValleySerenade-400x362.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Jf0xWp675uA?start=30\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Jf0xWp675uA\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/Jf0xWp675uA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>ReysMusicLounge shared the backstory of this song with these YouTube notes&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;At Last&#8221; is a 1941 song written by <strong>Gordon Mack<\/strong> and <strong>Harry Warren<\/strong> for the musical film &#8220;<strong>Sun Valley Serenade<\/strong>&#8221; (1941), starring <strong>Sonja Henie<\/strong> and <strong>John Payne<\/strong>. Prior to release, it was performed in the film by <strong>Glenn Miller<\/strong> and his orchestra, with vocal by <strong>John Payne<\/strong> and <strong>Lynn Bari<\/strong>, dubbed by <strong>Pat Friday<\/strong>. Studio head <strong>Darryl Zanuck<\/strong> reportedly said, <em>\u201cThere are too many big ones in this. Let\u2019s save one for the next.\u201d<\/em> The \u201cAt Last\u201d vocal by Payne and Bari was thus deleted, although instrumental versions remained in the film, including in the Black Ice Ballet finale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Last\u201d was added to Glenn Miller\u2019s subsequent and only other film, &#8220;<strong>Orchestra Wives<\/strong>&#8221; (1942), starring <strong>George Montgomery<\/strong> and <strong>Ann Rutherford<\/strong>. Vocal was by Ray Eberle and, again, Lynn Bari, dubbed by Pat Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Unreleased recordings of the song had been made in 1941 by Glenn Miller. A new version was recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in Chicago on May 20, 1942, and released by RCA Victor Records as a 78 single, catalogue number 27934-B, backed with the A side &#8220;(I&#8217;ve Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo&#8221;. The song reached number 9 on the Billboard pop charts in 1942, staying on the charts for nine weeks, and later became a standard.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/orchestral_wives.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"760\" height=\"600\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/orchestral_wives.jpg 760w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/orchestral_wives-300x237.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/orchestral_wives-150x118.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/orchestral_wives-400x316.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In 1960, Etta James recorded a completely new arrangement of this song (courtesy of <strong>Riley Hampton<\/strong>) which was the title track of her <strong>Argo Records<\/strong> debut album &#8220;<strong>At Last!<\/strong>&#8221; (note the extra exclamation point!), which was released in April 1961.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S-cbOl96RFM?start=30\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/S-cbOl96RFM\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/S-cbOl96RFM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/At_Last\">Wikipedia<\/a> pointed out, Etta&#8217;s version of this song appeared in the films <strong>Rain Man, Pleasantville, American Pie<\/strong>, and <strong>Inland Empire<\/strong>, and such television series as <strong>It&#8217;s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Northern Exposure, Bates Motel, Criminal Minds, The Simpsons, The Good Place, Two Guys and a Girl<\/strong>, and <strong>Chuck<\/strong>. It has also been used in television commercials for such products as <strong>Jaguar automobiles, Hoover vacuum cleaners, State Farm insurance<\/strong>, and <strong>Applebee&#8217;s<\/strong> restaurants. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisinsider.com\/most-popular-wedding-first-dance-songs-according-to-spotify-2016-7\">Spotify<\/a> declared this version of the song as the #2 song played at weddings!<\/p>\n<p>Richard and Etta first met during the recording of the song &#8220;Roll With Me, Henry&#8221; in 1955, but we&#8217;ll save that story for another time&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>(Special thanks to <strong>Deborah Roldan-Dixon<\/strong> for alerting me to the anniversary of Etta&#8217;s Hollywood star!) <\/p>\n<p><strong>REFERENCE LINKS<\/strong>:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/At_Last\">Wikipedia &#8211; At Last (the song)<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisinsider.com\/most-popular-wedding-first-dance-songs-according-to-spotify-2016-7\">ThisInsider.com &#8211; The 50 most popular first dance songs for weddings, according to Spotify<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I just learned that today is the 16th anniversary of the moment in time when Etta James was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame April 18, 2003 in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,22,32,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-los-angeles-music","category-louie-universe","category-record-collecting","category-richard-berry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10051"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10423,"href":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10051\/revisions\/10423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}