Donto James is an American drummer and the son of singer and songwriter Etta James. He followed in the footsteps of his mother and joined the music industry and teamed up with his brother Sametto to produce their mother’s 2003 album Let’s Roll and Blues to the Bone in 2004. The brothers won Best Contemporary Blues Album and Best Traditional Blues Album at the 46th and 47th Grammy Awards. Donto and his brother Sametto played drums and bass guitar during Etta’s last tour. He was granted power of attorney by his mother in 2008.
Donto James Family Life
Donto James was born in 1968. He was born when his mother Etta was struggling with addiction and he was left under the care of his grandmother. He is a sibling to Sametto. The children did not grow up rich despite having a famous smother but they enjoyed going on tour.
After her mother died, Donto and his brother got into a legal battle with their stepfather Mills who wanted access to Etta’s financial accounts. The court ruled for him to be given $350,000 for the $30,000 he paid monthly for Etta’s hospital treatment.
Donto James Mother Etta James
Etta James was an American singer and songwriter. She is known for her adversity as she performed rock and roll, blues, jazz, soul, gospel, and R&B. She had a uniquely deep and earthy voice and was called by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as having one of the greatest voices at the time.
She was a stalwart in the music industry in the 60s and had hit songs like At Last, tell Mama and I’d Rather Go Blind. Her 1973 album earned her a Grammy Award nomination. Etta was on and off in her music career and came back to the scene and released the album Seven Year Itch in the late 80s. She won three Grammy Awards for her 2005 album, Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1995, an award for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Let’s Roll in 2004, and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001.
Etta performed at top jazz festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Nort Sea Jazz Festival, and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Her final television appearance was in 2009 on the program Dancing with the Stars performing At Last. She announced her retirement after releasing her final album The Dreamer in 2011.
Her career was on and off due to many reasons including continued drug problems with heroin and physical abuse. She was arrested in 1966 for writing bad checks, forging prescriptions, and stealing from her friends to be able to finance her addiction. She was put on probation and had to pay a fine of $500. Unfortunately, she violated the probation and had to spend 10 days in jail.
Etta was married to Artis Mills for over 40 years. He went to prison for 10 years after they were both arrested with heroin and he took responsibility. She died in January 2012 at the age of 73 in Riverside, California due to leukemia complications.