Minnesota Fats - Etta James

[Blackjack]

Not sure if this has ever been discussed on this forum, but according to Etta James, her father was the late Minnesota Fats, Rudolph Wanderone. Etta's was supposedly conceived when her mom was just 14 years old - Etta was born in 1938. Some say that it is impossible that Fatty was her father because he was supposedly managing a pool hall in Washington D.C. at the time.

According to Etta and other sources, Fatty always supported Etta financially, under the condition that his paternity not be revealed. Etta and Fatty only met once, in 1987.

Although paternity has never been proven, Fatty never denied her - and the resemblance is absolutely amazing! I'm sure there are other pictures where the resemblance is just as amazing - I just threw this one together quickly.

One thing's for sure - there was never a dull moment in Fatty's life.

 

[Mike Templeton]

I've never heard this, and Etta is one of my all time favorite singers. Very Cool if it's true...........And a great story if it's not.

Mike

 

[JAM]

Yep, I had heard that many years ago. Those are some great pics. Where did you get them?

This is mentioned in Rudolph Wanderone's Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_Wanderone_Jr.

Here is the REFERENCED link pertaining to Etta in the article: http://edition.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/19/mjazz.02.etta.james/index.html

Born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, by age 5, she was a vocal prodigy, singing about salvation in a church in the city's South Central neighborhood. As word spread about the little girl with the big voice, the only person who never offered praise was Etta's own teen-age mother, Dorothy Hawkins. The two have always had a contentious relationship.

"The first time she saw me perform was at the Hollywood Bowl. It must have been three years ago," James says. "And it was strange, because she would never, never go see me.

"But I remember her coming backstage, and we were both kind of making up in the mirror. She looked at me in the mirror and says, 'You know what? You can really sing!' For your own mother to come in, and stand flat-flooted and tell you something like that -- you know, you can't make that up. Never, never."

Dorothy Hawkins died this past May. But she outlived the man rumored to be James' father -- the enigmatic pool shark, Minnesota Fats. James met him once, in 1987, when she tracked him to the Heritage Hotel in Nashville and rang his room.

"He says, 'I'll be in the lobby,'" she says, pronouncing lobby as 'laahhhhby.' "He talked like that. 'I'll be in the lobby with one of my dames.' He had a vibe like me. As far as me knowing that's my father? I don't know. But he seemed like he was.

"When he passed, he sent me a beautiful golden watch that hung on his clothes that had his name on it. And he sent me a letter, and told me that he wanted me to write a song about him and stuff, which I never did. But I often thought about that."

James looks down wistfully at her hands. Despite a perfect French manicure, they're large, masculine hands -- just like those of Minnesota Fats. Then her head snaps back up. "Oh! And he gave us a picture - and the picture looked just like Donto, my oldest son. It was just like Donto."

A young Etta James and her mother Dorothy Hawkins are pictured in this undated family photo.

JAM

 

[JAM]

Here is a picture of Etta's son, Donto, who she thinks looks like Fats!

JAM

 

[Blackjack]

I've never heard this, and Etta is one of my all time favorite singers. Very Cool if it's true...........And a great story if it's not.

Mike

All of the sources I have - this story comes directly from Etta James, who got the story directly from her mother.

 

[jay helfert]

Fats swore up and down that he was not her father, and had never met her mother. Privately, he said she wasn't his "type". You can interpret that any way you want. I believed him then and still do now.

 

[catscradle]

Not sure if this has ever been discussed on this forum, but according to Etta James, her father was the late Minnesota Fats, Rudolph Wanderone. Etta's was supposedly conceived when her mom was just 14 years old - Etta was born in 1938. Some say that it is impossible that Fatty was her father because he was supposedly managing a pool hall in Washington D.C. at the time.

According to Etta and other sources, Fatty always supported Etta financially, under the condition that his paternity not be revealed. Etta and Fatty only met once, in 1987.

Although paternity has never been proven, Fatty never denied her - and the resemblance is absolutely amazing! I'm sure there are other pictures where the resemblance is just as amazing - I just threw this one together quickly.

One thing's for sure - there was never a dull moment in Fatty's life.

If he could only have played pool as well as she sang. What a set of pipes on the lady.

 

[JAM]

I guess nobody will ever know for sure whether Etta is Fats' biological daughter.

He definitely was not her father in the strictest sense of fatherhood.

DNA is the only way to resolve it, but I seroiusly doubt that will ever happen.

Etta's son sure does look a great deal like Rudolph Wanderone!

According to the Wikipedia article: Also in 1984, Wanderone left his wife Evelyn; they would divorce a year later.

Wanderone moved into the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville, Tennessee in 1985, remaining there for the next several years. In 1992, while undergoing surgery for a knee injury, he suffered a massive heart attack. In 1993, he met and married his second wife, Theresa Ward Bell. He lived in Bell's house until his death in 1996. His date of death has been the subject of conflicting reports, some sources placing it at January 15 and others at January 18. He left no known children.

His obit in The New York Times: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpa...C0A960958260&scp=1&sq="Minnesota+Fats"&st=nyt

JAM

 

[Blackjack]

Fats swore up and down that he was not her father, and had never met her mother. Privately, he said she wasn't his "type". You can interpret that any way you want. I believed him then and still do now.

I don't know, Jay... I can understand why he'd deny having a child with a 14 year old girl of another race in 1938... but look at the pictures of Etta and Donto... Etta's mannerisms are so much like Fatty's that its spooky.



I don't see where her mom had much to gain from Fatty prior to the 1960's - and when Fatty became famous, Etta was already in her twenties and successful in her own right. I just don't see where either of them had anything to gain by making it up. It just doesn't make sense ... but ... unless they do a paternity test or something - we'll never know for sure.

It's just part of the legend of Fatty!

 

[jay helfert]

I don't know, Jay... I can understand why he'd deny having a child with a 14 year old girl of another race in 1938... but look at the pictures of Etta and Donto... Etta's mannerisms are so much like Fatty's that its spooky.



I don't see where her mom had much to gain from Fatty prior to the 1960's - and when Fatty became famous, Etta was already in her twenties and successful in her own right. I just don't see where either of them had anything to gain by making it up. It just doesn't make sense ... but ... unless they do a paternity test or something - we'll never know for sure.

It's just part of the legend of Fatty!

I like you David, but I don't think she looks like him and I think it's total BS! JMO of course.

 

[Blackjack]

I like you David, but I don't think she looks like him and I think it's total BS! JMO of course.

I understand, Jay.

The next thread I'm starting -

Only because Dr. Phil noticed the resemblance, not me...LOL

 

[ugotactionTX]

now THAT's funny!

 

[Scott Lee]

Mike...Robert Dyer wrote an article about this for Billiards Digest, last year, iirc.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I've never heard this, and Etta is one of my all time favorite singers. Very Cool if it's true...........And a great story if it's not.

Mike

 

[Cornerman]

Not sure if this has ever been discussed on this forum, but according to Etta James, her father was the late Minnesota Fats, Rudolph Wanderone.

Five or six times. So, as far as FAQ's go, it's pretty low on the list.

Fred

 

[Bigjohn]

Not sure if this has ever been discussed on this forum, but according to Etta James, her father was the late Minnesota Fats, Rudolph Wanderone. Etta's was supposedly conceived when her mom was just 14 years old - Etta was born in 1938. Some say that it is impossible that Fatty was her father because he was supposedly managing a pool hall in Washington D.C. at the time.

According to Etta and other sources, Fatty always supported Etta financially, under the condition that his paternity not be revealed. Etta and Fatty only met once, in 1987.

Although paternity has never been proven, Fatty never denied her - and the resemblance is absolutely amazing! I'm sure there are other pictures where the resemblance is just as amazing - I just threw this one together quickly.

One thing's for sure - there was never a dull moment in Fatty's life.

If you see any resemblance there, what so ever... You need your glasses checked !!!

 

[PoolBum]

I understand, Jay.

The next thread I'm starting -

Only because Dr. Phil noticed the resemblance, not me...LOL

Hmmm...does this make Helfert Dr. Jay?

 

[billbOK]

I think this is a misunderstanding. She is certainly the sister of Fats Domino, not the daughter of Minesota Fats.

 

[Hunter]

I don't think it was Fatty. It seems she resembled someone in pool world though????

 

[dabarbr]

I understand, Jay.

The next thread I'm starting -

Only because Dr. Phil noticed the resemblance, not me...LOL

Seeing these pictures of Jay and Dr. Phil reminds me of the time a few years ago when Me an a couple of buddies of mine were at Jays billiard room at Hollywood park.

We were sitting at a table having some food and sodas looking at Jay that was behind the counter looking our way. We were smiling and laughing and he was smiling back toward us.

What he didn't know was that the tv behind him had the Dr. Phil Show on and what a picture it was for us to see them both at the same time. We couldn't stop laughing. Sorry Jay, but it was funny. Now you know the rest of the story.

By the way Jay I have heard this story about Etta James for many years and I do see the resemblance. I have met her son Donto and there also is a resemblance there.

 

[Scott Lee]

Bigjohn...If you look at the article in BD, the picture of Fatty was from the same age as the one of Etta James here. They are DEAD RINGERS for each other. This photo of Fatty shows him 30 yrs older.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

If you see any resemblance there, what so ever... You need your glasses checked !!!