Even by rock ‘n’ roll standards, the great Etta James, who died early this year at age 73, lived a life of meteoric highs and sewer crawling lows. Her terrific autobiography Rage To Survive overflows with tales of wealth earned and squandered, abusive gangster boyfriends, merciless addictions (most notably to heroin), and harrowing stints in prison and rehab. Above it all was a phenomenal voice that could not be dimmed. Who else but Fort Worth’s Sheran Goodspeed Keyton has the vocal chops and stage presence to resurrect the life and talents of James? Keyton’s DVA Productions presents the final weekend (Oct 12-14) of the one-woman show Simply Etta, adapted from James’ book by playwright Dianne Tucker and directed by former Jubilee Theatre artistic director Ed Smith. The reviews have been knockout, so grab your tickets now.
