Known as “Sweet Mama Stringbean” for her slender figure, Ethel Waters could sing the blues beyond compare. Her soft, refined voice, theatrical style, and signature shimmy captivated Black and white audiences alike.
Waters grew up in the chaotic misery of a Philadelphia slum. “No one raised me,” she recalled. “I just ran wild.” Waters gladly put it all behind her to tour on the vaudeville circuit. She ended up in New York City, performing on the stages of both the Lincoln and Lafayette Theatres.
In 1919, she became one of the first Black artists hired by Black Swan Records. The commercial success of two 1921 recordings-“Down Home Blues” and “Oh, Daddy”-landed Waters a touring gig with Fletcher Henderson and the Black Swan Troubadours.
22 июн 2024
