At last, Etta James is in a sunny place

Last time Etta James played here, she tooled onto the stage in a candy-apple-red motorized wheelchair and sang sitting down.

Not this time.

In the four years since that Paramount gig, the legendary blues and jazz singer has dropped some 200 pounds, thanks to gastric bypass surgery. She walks onto the stage now — or rather, saunters and sashays, as befits the still saucy sex kitten, who established her career with one of the most suggestive pop songs ever to climb the hit parade.

"Roll With Me Henry," which she recorded in 1955 at age 16, was so raunchy, many radio stations wouldn't play it (like those here in Seattle). I remember hearing it, at age 10, at a friend's house.

You can imagine the effect it had on an innocent Catholic schoolboy intoxicated with the new sound called rock 'n' roll. It made the music even more daring, exciting and challenging.

Georgia Gibbs recorded a cleaned-up version called "Dance With Me Henry" which did make the Seattle radio airwaves. It was one of the first white covers of black music in rock — Pat Boone soon made a career of it — reflecting the racism of the period, and the widespread panic over white kids listening to black music.

To underscore her defiance, James dyed her hair blond — a shocking look for a black woman in those days.

While James seemed just a novelty at first, only a few years after she made "Henry" came one of the most incandescent pop performances ever recorded. "At Last" stood out for its lush string arrangement, steady piano underpinning and an understated but powerful, sweet and soaring vocal.

As the song says, the spell was cast. James has been a star ever since.

But it's been a long, rocky road. As recounted in her frank, dishy autobiography, "Rage to Survive," published in 1995, she drank heavily, was addicted to heroin and cocaine, endured several jail stints and had a knack for hooking up with sleazy men who treated her badly and stole her money.

As the book title suggests, Etta James is a survivor. She overcame all her difficulties, raising two sons in the process (both of whom play in her backing group, the Roots Band), eventually marrying and settling down.

She kept working, even in her darkest periods, enjoying boosts from the likes of Sly Stone (who encouraged her and supported her financially at her lowest points) and The Rolling Stones (who hired her to open for them in England in the '60s; Keith Richards remains one of her closest friends).

The last couple of decades have been her most prolific, regularly featuring albums that show her depth and range, and a more seasoned, knowing vocal style. She can sing rock, blues, jazz and pop with equal style and sass.

She's still sexy. Even performing sitting down, she managed to convey sensuality via her hands, arms and face. Every time she'd sing the word "kiss" — which was a lot — she'd lick her lips and roll her eyes. Everybody got the message.

One bit, which she hopefully won't do at the zoo, with all the kids there, involved having a bandmember put his head in her lap, while she continued singing, and making moaning noises.

A sunny, outdoor setting in the early evening, with kids running around, is not her usual milieu. She's used to darkened nightclubs with lots of dancing couples or theaters full of lively, adoring fans. But the kids at ZooTunes will love her lively dance music and her excellent band. And the parents will just have to fudge if the kids ask what the songs mean.

James is said to be happier than ever with her new, svelte body. And her performances are said to reflect that newfound joy, as well as her enduring spirit and unabashed, uncensored love of life.

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com