Description
Book SynopsisEthel Waters overcame her disadvantaged childhood to become the most famous African American actress, singer, and entertainer of her time. Her critically acclaimed move to Broadway in the mid 1920safter having first triumphed in Black vaudeville during the Harlem Renaissancebrought the startlingly innovative and subtle character of Black Theatre into the mainstream. Ethel transformed such songs as Dinah, Am I Blue?, Stormy Weather, and Irving Berlin''s Heat Wave into classics and inspired the next generation of Black female vocalists. She gave sophistication and class to the blues and American popular song, and she influenced countless singers including Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. Tough, uncompromising, courageous, and ambitious, Ethel Waters became one of the first African American women to be given equal billing with white stars on the Broadway stage. In 1943, the film version of her Broadway success, Cabin in the Sky, established her as Hollywood''s first Black-leading lady. In
Trade Review...Stephen Bourne packs a lot into his life of the African-American singer Ethel Waters....the book is a model of balance....Bourne has the makings of the country's leading biographer of African-American singers. * Jazzwise, July 2007 *
This biography of singer and actress Ethel Waters traces her career, including how she became a singer, her Broadway appearances, the film version of Cabin in the Sky, other films she appeared in, and recordings. Included are a list of credits and a transcript from her interview with Woman's Hour on BBC Radio. Bourne is a contributor to Black Filmmaker magazine and is the author of other books relating to black history. * Reference and Research Book News, May 2007 *
Table of ContentsPart 1 Acknowledgments Part 2 Introduction Part 3 Chapter 1 I Never Was a Child Part 4 Chapter 2 On with the Show! Part 5 Chapter 3 Paris, London, and Being in the Life Part 6 Chapter 4 The Cotton Club and "Stormy Weather" Part 7 Chapter 5 Back on Broadway Part 8 Chapter 6 Cabin in the Sky Part 9 Chapter 7 Hollywood Part 10 Chapter 8 Pinky Part 11 Chapter 9 A Natural Phenomenon like Niagara Falls Part 12 Chapter 10 Ethel on the Etherwaves Part 13 Chapter 11 Homeward Bound Part 14 Appendix A Ethel Waters's Credits Part 15 Appendix B Transcript of BBC Radio 4'sWoman's Hour Interview Part 16 Appendix C Testimonials Part 17 Bibliography Part 18 Index Part 19 About the Author
