Etta James and Ray Charles: Lives, Times, and Music
Few singers touch our souls as deeply as Etta James and Ray Charles. They took our breath away with naked emotional truth, whether crooning tenderly or smoking ‘em down. But each also transcended typical music labels, straddling jazz, blues, country, R & B, gospel, by creating their own unique soulful sound that was bigger than any genre. All the more extraordinary in light of the fact that each of these artists managed not only to survive their difficult early years, fighting Jim Crow laws on the road, they stood up for themselves as they carved out a unique place in music that we now call ‘soul’.
With in-depth biographical detail, archival footage, sing-a-longs and some live performance, we will explore the lives, times and music of these two Soul Masters. Guest accompanist John R. Burr will join Pamela 2/22 and 3/7.
Faculty Bio
Pamela Rose is a San Francisco jazz and blues vocalist. With seven recordings under her belt, Rose has toured nationally, celebrating remarkable women in blues and jazz. She is on the faculty of the California Jazz Conservatory.
This is an In-Person + Recorded Course
- Classes will be held in person at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center (Community Hall) at 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette
- Classes will also be video recorded
- Please note: Due to copyright restrictions, some songs and video clips may be edited out of the final recording
- You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.
Schedule Highlights
- Course starts on Thursday, Feb. 15 and ends on Thursday, March 7
- Classes meet for four weeks, two hours per session (10–noon)
- Videos will post on Fridays in Member Dashboards
- Course materials, including videos, will remain available to view and enjoy through March 31
Member Praise for Pamela Rose
Pamela Rose is a wonderful instructor. She is very knowledgeable about the subject matter, personally invested, and enthusiastic.
I loved Pamela's joie-de-vivre and obvious delight in her subject.
Pamela's enthusiasm and passion was contagious and her presentation and organization was excellent. I learned a lot about women singer/songwriters I'd never heard of but instantly recognized their songs, along with songwriters I already was familiar with.
Faculty Q&A
- Read an interview with Pamela Rose from our archive