BHS Day 9: Ethel Waters

Hi! Week 2 of this year's Black History Spotlight is in full swing, and we're back at the Music and Entertainment Spotlight already. Last week we talked about the amazing Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and I'm back with another pioneer powerhouse (heey alliteration lol) who made her mark on Hollywood in a number of places. She was able to make her impact in different music genres, and on both the silver screen and television. She broke into radio and Broadway, and is largely considered a pioneer for Black entertainers in both music and film. Let's get to today's entrant!

Source

Name: Ethel Waters, 1896-1977

Profession: Actress and singer

Why is the Spotlight on her today? For her contributions throughout her long career in the entertainment industry

Notables:
--Was the first Black entertainer to star in her own sitcom when she took over the role of the titular character Beulah for the first season of the sitcom's 3-season run
--Created a different style of jazz singing to what was being done at the time, which made her voice more recognizable
--Was the first to record the classic "Jeepers Creepers" in-studio as well as the first to perform "Georgia On My Mind"
--Was the first woman to sing the W.C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues" in Baltimore
--Was the first Black entertainer to perform with all-white casts on Broadway and in the Deep South
--Completed her first tour as a performer with the Black Swan Troubadours
--Recorded over 200 songs throughout her musical career
--Prominently sang and found success in four genres: jazz, blues, pop and gospel
--Is considered one of the jazz greats, with the songs "Stormy Weather," "Dinah," and "Heat Wave," the latter of which she performed during the musical As Thousands Cheer, being permanently linked to her
--Was the first Black actress to receive an Emmy Award, which she received for her performance on the tv show Route 66
--Is featured in Carl Van Vechten's Portraits of Women, a book put together by the famous photographer of some of his female acquaintances and friends and their cultural dominance during that time period
--Was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in 1949's Pinky
--Was the first Black performer to be broadcast on radio
--Spent the latter part of her career as part of evangelist Billy Graham's choir in the '60s
--Won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for her performance in the 1950 stage version of The Member of the Wedding and received another Oscar nomination for it
--Is noted as an influence on other jazz greats Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan

Further reading links: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

If you're interested, here is the "This is Ethel Waters" Spotify playlist. Check it out!
Quote of the Day: 
"Negroes are human beings with exactly the same faults and virtues as members of the other races."
--Ethel Waters