Born October 31, 1896

Chester, Pennsylvania

Died September 1, 1977

Chatsworth, California

American singer, actress, and writer

Ethel Waters. (AP/Wide World Photos, Inc. Reproduced by permission.)

"I had fame, but I was empty."

Among the dynamic entertainers that people flocked to Harlem by the carload to see was Ethel Waters, a talented singer and actress who had emerged from humble beginnings to become a star of nightclubs, musical revues, Broadway shows, and, eventually, films. Waters began her career by singing the blues—the new, uniquely African American musical form that was taking the United States by storm—but her smooth, sophisticated style took her beyond that category and into the broader realm of popular music. Waters's very emotional singing style—and, later, the realism she put into her dramatic roles—made her an especially memorable performer. She was also an African American trailblazer, becoming the first black woman to...