James, Etta: At Last (Chess 75) LP

Etta James's debut album, originally released in 1961 on the Chess subsidiary Argo Records. The album's title-track and "All I Could Do Was Cry" (co-written by future Motown founder Berry Gordy) both went to No. 2 on the R&B charts.

When Etta James stepped to the mic in 1960 to record her debut for Chess Records, the world didn't just get an album — it got a cultural landmark. At Last! was a velvet-wrapped knockout punch that still sends chills down spines six decades later.

This was the record that turned Etta from a teenage R&B firebrand into a full-fledged legend. Backed by lush orchestration and dripping with raw emotion, she could make heartbreak sound like poetry and longing feel like a victory lap. Chess Records knew they had something special, and they delivered an LP that blended blues grit, jazz sophistication, and pop elegance in a way nobody had done before.

Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original Chess tapes and pressed at Quality Record Pressings.