The incredible talent that passes our way we never take for granted, but somehow assume they'll be around forever. I guess you could say that about Etta James.

Ironic that she and another great talent, Johnny Otis, should also leave almost on the same day. It was in the late 1960's, when Otis played regularly around Los Angeles with The Johnny Otis Show, featuring his particular galaxy of immortals like Joe Turner, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Etta James all onstage, in one place and for one staggering performance after the next. And later in the early 1970's, periodically showing up at The Troubadour in West Hollywood or The Total Experience on Crenshaw, for a show that featured other luminaries like Bobby "Blue" Bland or B.B. King for night after night of what seemed like an embarrassment of riches - I never took them for granted, but I assumed they'd be around forever.

Life doesn't work like that.

And so Etta James isn't here anymore, and her years of failing health were some indication it wouldn't be forever. But still. . .

I ran across this concert she did in 1994 in San Francisco. Her voice maybe a little rougher around the edges, but the soul intact, the power still there. My buddy and C&L colleague Mike Finnigan, who I think is on Hammond B-3 for this show, gigged with her for a number of years and never grew tired of it. He always said what a great experience it was, and how much the audiences loved her.

That goes for a lot of us.

Thank you for all those unforgettable nights.

To most people, the mention of James Brown, Sam Cooke or Otis Redding brings an instant recognition - those are household names in the Pantheon of Soul and Rhythm & Blues. Bobby "Blue" Bland, not so much. No good reason why. His collected work over the decades features hit after hit and one memorable classic after the next.

As an inspiration to countless musicians he's very high on most lists. There is no mistaking a Bobby "Blue" Bland track. His soulful slow-burn is legendary and a trademark to his inimitable style. Yet somehow he hasn't achieved the broad commercial success many of his contemporaries have. Well, it's still early and Bobby is still with us, and luckily for all of us, his entire catalog is still in print, thanks to the folks at Ace Records in the UK and, to a lesser extent, Universal Music.

So I would suggest, if you don't know who he is, by all means check out his work - you can start at just about any point in his career and land on something wonderful, and like I said, it goes back decades.

But in the meantime, here is his 1965 single for the Duke/Peacock label, I'm Too Far Gone (To Turn Around). You'll know exactly what I'm talking about.