Remembering Etta James; Miles Davis immortalized with stamp; Country Music Award nominations listed

Two music icons will be honored in two very different ways. The funeral service for the Etta James will be held this weekend, and the United States Postal Service will begin production of a stamp bearing the image of jazz legend, Miles Davis.

The R&B singer known for songs such as “At Last,” died at the age of 73 on Friday, Jan. 20 after a long battle with leukemia, dementia and hepatitis C. She died at a California hospital with her husband Artis Mills and two sons by her side.

This weekend Rev. Al Sharpton will preside over her funeral, and her final resting place will be at the Inglewood Cemetery in California.

Etta James is highly regarded as being one of the most influential female singers as she’s credited as bridging the gap between R&B, blues and rock ‘n’ roll. She is the winner of 6 Grammys, 17 Blues Music Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

James' family has requested that donations be sent to the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of R&B music.

So long as the music survives, music icons continue to influence future generations even after death. Such is the case for jazz trumpeter, Miles Davis.

The US Postal Service has created a new stamp with his image as a tribute to the musician who passed away in 1991 at the age of 65.

Davis is credited with the creation and influence of several different off-shoot genres of jazz music, such as bebop, cool jazz, hard bob, modal jazz, and jazz fusion. He is also an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which was awarded after his death in 2006.

The new stamp is a partnership with the French postal service, La Poste, and is part of a collection of musically-themed stamps.

The nominations are in for the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Surprisingly, but also not very much so, Kenny Chesney is leading the board with nine nods, including Entertainer of the Year.

If Chesney wins, the trophy will be in good company. He already has four of those bad boys sitting on a shelf somewhere, along with Male Vocalist of the Year and both artist and producer for Album of the Year for “Hemingway’s Whiskey.”

The second most-nominated artist is Jason Aldean, who is followed closely by Lady Antebellum. But don’t count out little miss Taylor Swift – she’s also pulling in three nominations this year.

The awards ceremony will be held on April 1, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.