FILE - This April 29, 2006 file photo shows the late vocalist Etta James during her performance at the 2006 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. James, who died on Jan. 20 at 73 will be inducted into the Apollo Theater's hall of fame on June 4, 2012, along with singer-songwriter Lionel Richie. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen, File)

I can only speak for myself, but today so many years after she died, each and every time that TV commercial spot using a piece of the Etta James song “Security” to promote Google comes on, it strikes a deep chord in me. I mean, every single time. In fact, the tone and timber in Etta’s throaty voice practically grabs me by shirt collar and hauls me out of that snug and well-worn recliner chair where I spend far too much time than is healthy for any person.

As I say, I can only speak for myself, and share my own feelings. However, I’ll bet that many other people may share my reaction to hearing the song snip-it. It’s one of those freeze-frame moments that maybe, when people have the TV on as background noise while sitting there feeding their cell phone addiction, makes them lift their heads up. Suddenly, that gritty voice coming out of the TV spot jolts them. It’s so striking, that has them looking up and saying, “Wow! Who IS that singer?” It’s a safe bet that many people may be thinking that the voice belongs to some current artist who they can’t really place, and that’s understandable for Etta James belongs to another time and place. It’s that far away realm where the likes of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Aretha Franklin reside.

Very few people ever know the thrill of having the label of ‘legend’ attached to them as they travel through their lives. However, the iconic Etta James was, still is, and will always be, an iconic blues legend. The celebrated singer was born, Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938, in the Watts section of Los Angeles, and she left this world on January 20, 2012 from leukemia at the age of 73.

In addition to battling blood cancer, her path through life was plagued by other serious health issues that included several years of heroin addiction that she was finally able to beat at age 50. She also suffered with obesity at one point weighing over 400 pounds that required her to use a motorized wheelchair to get on stage during her concerts. She underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost more than 200 pounds.

As a 16 year old girl who was part of a trio who called themselves the Creolettes, James sang with the mature voice of a 40 year old artist that brought her to the attention of the rhythm and blues artist Johnny Otis who, in 1955, recorded them singing “Wallflower” that became a #1 hit on the national R&B charts. The rest, as they say, is history, as the young James left the trio to become a solo artist going on tour with fabled music legends Chuck Berry, Otis Reading, and Little Richard.

What always set Etta James apart from many of her contemporaries was her unique singing voice that could transition from achingly soft and tender to a gritty ferocious growl in a heartbeat. This distinctive singing style provided inspiration not only to young black artists who would follow in her wake years later, but also iconic bluesy white vocalists like Amy Winehouse and Adele, who has said in many public statements that hearing James made her want to take up singing. When the future British superstar met her, she stated that she was completely star struck.

Something else that differentiated and set James apart from the rest of the musical pack was that long after she had achieved her musical peak in the 60’s, she continued to consistently put out first-rate albums earning the title, “The Matriarch of the Blues.”

For me, and perhaps for others as well, it was the vocal passion that she was able to seamlessly integrate with. It was a stunning emotional and stylistic range that still pulls me in; that still yanks me away from my cell phone and has me saying aloud, “Wow, that woman has a voice and a half!” That being said, perhaps the song that most people will always remember from her rich portfolio is the Grammy Award winning classic love song, “At Last.” There is, indeed, a breathtaking timeless allure to that song. Across the decades, countless brides have chosen it as their wedding song. Perhaps the greatest tribute to the song is found in the fact that President Barack Obama and First Lady, Michelle danced to a version of the evocative “At Last” at his inauguration ball. Though her song “Security” is definitely on the other end of “At Last,” both songs sound as good today as they did when she recorded them so many years ago, and both underscore her versatility and musical reach.

Starting her career as a gospel prodigy, her musical stylings have straddled multiple musical genres that include blues, jazz, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll. Her music will never go out of style, so thank you Google for bring back a tiny little sliver of this timeless artist who left us with a songbook whose offerings will always sound new, fresh and captivating. And, for the record, and again, maybe like a growing number of people everywhere, my cell phone is another vice that has increasingly becoming an addiction to the point where I often feel like I’m developing a permanent crick in the back of my neck. I don’t know how I can remedy that pain, but I’ll get on my phone and google it.

Paul Collins is a freelance writer from Southborough, Massachusetts.