Etta James Vocal Range: Reported G#2–B5
Etta James’s reported vocal range is G#2 to B5, about 3.3 octaves (39 semitones). That is a reported reference span, not an independently verified physiological limit. The catalog lists Etta James as a contralto; this is a reported reference classification.
Review confirmed · Read sources and limitations
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Where Etta James’s reported span sits in the catalog
- Span, whole catalog
- 39 semitones wide: number 152 of 636 by reported span. The catalog median is 32.5 semitones.
- Span, contralto group
- Number 2 of 38 catalog contraltos; that group's median span is 24.5 semitones, and this span is 14.5 semitones wider than that median.
- Span, Soul
- Number 32 of 101 catalog singers tagged Soul (median 36 semitones).
- Against the textbook band
- The conventional contralto band runs F3 to F5. The reported floor sits 9 semitones below the band's bottom note, and the reported ceiling sits 6 semitones above the band's top note.
- Catalog entry
- Filed under USA, prominent from 1955, signature song listed as At Last.
Counted from the catalog’s reported figures, which are not verified measurements.
Evidence and review
Catalog review confirmed 2026-10-24 · Dataset editor: Jason Colapietro
Reported reference span: the displayed catalog range is not an independently verified physiological limit. The catalog lists Etta James as a contralto; this is a reported reference classification.
The catalog has not verified recordings or scores for both endpoints. These figures cannot establish a repeatable singing range or an absolute highest or lowest note.
These are approximate catalog reference spans. Most profiles have not had both endpoints individually verified against named recordings or scores. They are not lab measurements or comfortable everyday ranges; use them for comparison, not as training targets.
What is Etta James’s vocal range?
Etta James’s reported vocal range is G#2 to B5, about 3.3 octaves (39 semitones). That is a reported reference span, not an independently verified physiological limit. The catalog lists Etta James as a contralto; this is a reported reference classification.
- Signature song
- At Last
Reported catalog figures, not lab measurements. An endpoint may be an isolated performance and does not describe an everyday singing range.
More about Etta James’s voice
How high can Etta James sing?
The catalog lists G#2 to B5 as a reported reference span, not an independently verified physiological limit. Its upper endpoint should not be read as a verified individual maximum.
What is Etta James’s highest note?
The catalog lists G#2 to B5 as a reported reference span, not an independently verified physiological limit. The catalog record does not independently establish the upper endpoint as an individual highest note.
What is Etta James’s lowest note?
The catalog lists G#2 to B5 as a reported reference span, not an independently verified physiological limit. The catalog record does not independently establish the lower endpoint as an individual physiological limit.
How many octaves can Etta James sing?
The catalog lists G#2 to B5 as a reported reference span, not an independently verified physiological limit. It covers about 3.3 octaves (39 semitones) in the catalog, not a reviewed measurement of the singer's full working range.
What voice type is Etta James?
The catalog lists Etta James as a contralto; this is a reported reference classification.
Etta James’s full entry (range, tone and technique) is in The Voice Atlas, chapter 15: The soul and R&B women, included with Pro.
Also listed from G#2
3 other voices here have the same reported floor in this catalog.
Also listed up to B5
25 other voices here have the same reported ceiling in this catalog.