Ethel Waters: Profiles in Jazz

During the 1921-25 period, it seemed as if every African-American female singer who could carry a tune was being rushed into a recording studio to sing blues-oriented material. The record labels were in a big hurry to capitalize upon the surprise success of Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues” and build upon the short-lived blues craze. While there were many important discoveries during that era including most notably Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Ida Cox, only two female singers emerged from the time who would be able to cross over successfully into singing pop music in the 1930s: Alberta Hunter and Ethel Waters. And unlike Hunter, who found greater success for a time singing in Europe, Waters stayed in the U.S. and, against all odds, was accompanied regularly by white orchestras and had a notable career in motion pictures. Ethel Waters was a pioneer in many different ways during her very productive career. She was born on October 31, 1896 in Chester, Pennsylvania. Waters grew up in extreme poverty, was married for the first of three times at the age of 13 (none of the unions lasted long) and as a teenager worked as a maid. Music would be her escape from what would have been a desolate life. She sang in church choirs as a child, won local talent contests, and performed in Philadelphia and Baltimore starting when she was 17. Due to being tall and thin, she was nicknamed “Sweet Mama S