Ethel Waters was one of the most popular
African-American singers and actresses of the Twenties. She was born in Chester , Pennsylvania ,
in 1896. Waters attained success of a level that saw her eventually become the
highest-paid female entertainer of her day, an unheard of accomplishment for an
African-American woman in the early years of the 20th century.
Waters moved to New York in 1919, following several years of
touring in vaudeville shows as a singer and a dancer. In 1921, she made her
first recordings for Cardinal Records. Later, she switched to the African-American
run Black Swan label, and recorded “Down Home Blues” which would be the first
blues recording for the label. Waters recorded blues and vaudeville numbers for
the label including “Oh Daddy,” “Royal Garden Blues,” “Jazzin’ Baby Blues,”
“Sweet Man Blues,” and “Sugar.”
Waters appeared in a number of musical
productions and films during the Twenties including, “Check and Double Check,”
featuring Amos and Andy and Duke Ellington. By the end of the Thirties, she was
a big star on Broadway.
In 1949, Waters received an Oscar
nomination for best supporting actress for the film, “Pinky.” Waters died in
1977. A series of compilations called, “The Chronological Classics” are the
best sources of her classic recordings.
Ethel Waters in 1940 |