Was Rudolf Wanderone Etta James' Father?

Here's another side-by-side.
 

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One more Etta James pic, with the same cheek bone structure as Fats.
 

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interesting . . .

this is interesting i've never heard this story before. one more "did it really happen?" question to add to the Fats' mystique.
 
JAM said:
This is one of her last concerts. The tone of her voice and the range she can hit, the lows as well as the highs, she is, without a doubt, one of the best vocal artists ever: Recent: Etta singing "At Last.'

Here she is singing "At Last" in the middle of her career. Check out the introduction by none other than Wolfman Jack. She looks just like Minnesota Fats in this concert, IMO: Etta singing "At Last" in middle of her career.

Here's Etta singing "At Last" at the time it put her on the number-one slot on the charts; Young Etta singing "At Last."
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Might I recommend Big Mama Thornton? Specifically "Guide Me Home".
 
BLACKHEARTCUES said:
I remember reading that there was a DNA test done & she is NOT related to him...JER
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Correct! He was NOT her father, of that I'm sure. Just because they have a similar shaped face does not make him her father. If it did, Fats would have about a million kids! I'm surprised that so many people on here would be so quick to make this assumption based on such frail evidence, a slight physical similarity.

Fats was a lot of things, but a father to ANYONE was not one of them. P.S. He told me once he was shooting blanks, but he loved the "dolls" as he called them.
 
jay helfert said:
Correct! He was NOT her father, of that I'm sure. Just because they have a similar shaped face does not make him her father. If it did, Fats would have about a million kids! I'm surprised that so many people on here would be so quick to make this assumption based on such frail evidence, a slight physical similarity.

Fats was a lot of things, but a father to ANYONE was not one of them. P.S. He told me once he was shooting blanks, but he loved the "dolls" as he called them.
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the maury povich show has stories like this on every day and you're surprised?
 
BLACKHEARTCUES said:
I remember reading that there was a DNA test done & she is NOT related to him...JER
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I would love to see that reference source. If you are able to locate it, I would appreciate seeing it. I have read extensively on the topic and have not run across anything relating to a DNA test having been taken. To date, everything is hearsay, so to speak, since Minnesota Fats has passed away. May he rest in peace. :)
 
Debbie R said:
Might I recommend Big Mama Thornton? Specifically "Guide Me Home".
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She's great. I just listened to a bunch of YouTube clips.

This one is so vintage: Down Home Shakedown.

It is so rare to see videos of these great musicians. :)

She is the one who originally did "Hound Dog." While Elvis road around in airplanes and limousines, Big Mama because of the color of her skin never got the riches that Elvis did. That is kind of what the movie "Cadillac Records" is about. Big Mama is the one who originally did "Hound Dog." Big Mama singing "Hound Dog."

This is her last concert. Man, she was smoking a cigarette, too. Talk about the blues: "Ball and Chain" by Big Mama.:
 
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Big Mama and Ruth Brown were the inspirations for Janis Joplin and that woman can still bring tears to my eyes. I could listen to her sing night and day. She has more passion in her voice than anyone I've ever heard before or since. Thank God these women have been recorded for posterity.

Does anyone know that Louie Roberts could do a great impersonation of Elvis, right down to the voice and movements? I mean better than any of these impersonators out there today. He NAILED Elvis!
 
jay helfert said:
Big Mama and Ruth Brown were the inspirations for Janis Joplin and that woman can still bring tears to my eyes. I could listen to her sing night and day. She has more passion in her voice than anyone I've ever heard before or since. Thank God these women have been recorded for posterity.

Does anyone know that Louie Roberts could do a great impersonation of Elvis, right down to the voice and movements? I mean better than any of these impersonators out there today. He NAILED Elvis!
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I had heard that Louie Roberts did do a mean Elvis Presley impersonation. He actually did look a lot like Elvis, from the pictures I've seen. I never met him.

I did a Google search to see if I could locate a good picture of him for this thread, and, interestingly, I came across this quote from a book, "I could understand why Louie Roberts was definitely one of the most talented players in the world. He was also the second best looking man I ever saw next to Elvis Presley."

This quote came from a book you can read online called "Poker Players and Wannabes." :grin-square:

Here is the link: Read this book here for free.
 
JAM said:
She's great. I just listened to a bunch of YouTube clips.

This one is so vintage: Down Home Shakedown.

It is so rare to see videos of these great musicians. :)

She is the one who originally did "Hound Dog." While Elvis road around in airplanes and limousines, Big Mama because of the color of her skin never got the riches that Elvis did. That is kind of what the movie "Cadillac Records" is about. Big Mama is the one who originally did "Hound Dog." Big Mama singing "Hound Dog."

This is her last concert. Man, she was smoking a cigarette, too. Talk about the blues: "Ball and Chain" by Big Mama.:
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Willie Mae aka Big Mama is my favorite musician of all time. I agree, she has been denied the recognition that she deserves. I truly do not understand why she is not as popular as other black female musicians. Almost everyone has heard of Etta James and Aretha Franklin. I find a lot of people are not as familiar with her - suprisingly pop culture did not find a place for Big Mama.

As for Etta though, I love her Let It Roll album. Strongest Weakness is definetly one of my favorite songs.
 
jay helfert said:
Correct! He was NOT her father, of that I'm sure. Just because they have a similar shaped face does not make him her father. If it did, Fats would have about a million kids! I'm surprised that so many people on here would be so quick to make this assumption based on such frail evidence, a slight physical similarity.

Fats was a lot of things, but a father to ANYONE was not one of them. P.S. He told me once he was shooting blanks, but he loved the "dolls" as he called them.
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Yea, Jay and Hillary had Bill Fixed too. Photo out of the DC school system.
 

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