Ethel Waters

American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress (1896-1977)

Person · Open Library

Born: 1896-10-31
Died: 1977-09-01
Works: 13

Top works

His Eye Is on the Sparrow
Ethel Waters on stage and screen
Rhapsody in black
At home with Ethel Waters
The member of the wedding

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Acting · Chester, Pennsylvania, USA

Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her best-known recordings includes, "Dinah", "Birmingham Bertha", "Stormy Weather" "Hottentot Potentate", and "Cabin in the Sky", as…

Known for

Jazz Voice - The Ladies sing Jazz Vol.12006
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There — Self (archive footage)2003
Blues Masters — Self (archive footage)1999
That's Entertainment, Part II — (archive footage)1976
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? — Self (archive footage)

~17 min read

Article

Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her notable recordings include "Dinah", "Stormy Weather", "Taking a Chance on Love", "Chlo-e (Song of the Swamp), "Heat Wave", "Supper Time", "Am I Blue?", "Birmingham Bertha", "Cabin in the Sky", "I'm Coming Virginia", and her version of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow". Waters was the second African American to be nominated for an Academy Award, the first African American to star on her own television show, and the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Early life