Etta James Derides Beyonce and Obama at Concert

Etta James is angry. The 71-year-old soul diva lashed out at Beyonce and President Barack Obama at a concert at the Paramount Theater in Seattle last week. Apparently, James is upset that her hit, "At Last," was performed by Beyonce Knowles at the Presidential Inauguration.

James said to her audience "I can't stand Beyonce. She has no business up there, singing up there on a big ol' president day ... singing my song that I've been singing forever." James didn't stop there, though. She also said "She's gonna get her ass whipped."

After she was done with Beyonce, she began to attack Obama too. "You guys know your president right?," she asked the audience. "You know the one with the big ears? Wait a minute, he ain't my President, he might be yours but he ain't my President."

It seems that James is feeling snubbed that she was passed over to sing her hit song at the inauguration. While the choice to use Knowles may have been the result of her fame and draw, James was unable to attend the inaugural ball due to health reasons.

Oddly enough, this is not the first time Beyonce has gotten herself in trouble with soul music's greatest divas. At last year's Grammys, Knowles introduced Tina Turner as "The Queen," and Aretha Franklin publicly called it a "cheap shot."

Beyonce played the role of Etta James in "Cadillac Records," a role that James had publicly applauded her for. Since the film was released, Beyonce has performed the song publicly many times, including for James. Etta James has dozens of hit songs in her career, and "At Last" was released in 1961 on Chess Records.

Here's an audio clip of James speaking her mind.