- Ethel Waters (1896-1977) was an astonishing singer and actress, despite violence, failed marriages, and crooked managers. Gifted with a remarkable memory and ability to mimic, Waters started singing professionally in 1917 in Philadelphia and, in 1918, in Harlem. Over the next few years she made a name for herself recording songs with her pianist and close friend Pearl Wright. Besides being a singer, though, Waters wanted to act. Following her first acting job in a blackface comedy, Hello 1919!, she appeared in musicals on and off Broadway. Her success in musicals led her to the Cotton Club. When Irving Berlin heard her sing “Stormy Weather” there, he offered her a role on Broadway in the otherwise all-white production, As Thousands Cheer. This smash hit, which opened in 1933, was one of the many successes in Waters’ lifetime career as a performer.
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