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Who inspired Ethel Waters?
She prioritized clear enunciation and used her soft, yet full-bodied voice to change the presentation of jazz music in the 1920s and 30s. Her appearance in the 1927 Broadway musical “Africana” caused her to be scouted by composer and songwriter Irving Berlin.
What powerful Irving Berlin song did Ethel Waters sing based on reality?
She went on to star at the Cotton Club, where, according to her autobiography, she “sang ‘Stormy Weather’ from the depths of the private hell in which I was being crushed and suffocated.” In 1933, she had a featured role in the successful Irving Berlin Broadway musical revue As Thousands Cheer with Clifton Webb.
Why was Ethel Waters significant?
Ethel Waters (1896–1977) was a blues singer and actress who was the first African American to star in her own television show and to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Who did Ethel Waters married?
Ed Mallorym. 1938–1977
Clyde Edward Matthewsm. 1929–1934Merritt Purnsleym. 1909–1913
Ethel Waters/Spouse
Why did Ethel Waters move to Harlem?
Ethel Waters moved to New York City to join the dynamic explosion of African American creativity that was the Harlem Renaissance. Beginning with her appearances in Harlem nightclubs in the late 1920s, she became one of America’s most celebrated and highest paid entertainers.
What were Ethel Waters accomplishments?
In 1950, Ethel Waters was the first black American performer to star in her own regular television show, Beulah, but it was the 1961 role in the “Good Night, Sweet Blues” episode of the television series Route 66 that earned her an Emmy award. She was the first black so honored.
Who was Cab Calloway and what was his impact on American popular music?
A singer, dancer and bandleader, Cab Calloway led one of the most popular African-American big bands during the jazz and swing eras of the 1930s-40s, with Harlem’s famous Cotton Club as his home stage. He influenced countless performers, including Michael and Janet Jackson, and many of today’s contemporary artists.
How did Ethel Waters change the world?
But despite her inauspicious beginnings, Ethel Waters made history, garnering many laurels and many “firsts.” She was the first black woman to appear on radio (on April 21, 1922); the first black woman to star on her own at the Palace Theater in New York (in 1925); the first black woman to star in a commercial network …
Who influenced Cab Calloway?
There, Cab met the jazz pianist Tommy Jones and drummer and band leader Chick Webb, who had a strong influence on his early jazz training. His older sister Blanche was also a jazz singer and band leader, and under the influence of these three, pretty soon Cab started performing regularly in Baltimore jazz nightclubs.