Ethel Waters: Chester's Voice on Broadway and Beyond

Ethel Waters was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, in eighteen ninety-six under extraordinarily difficult circumstances and went on to become one of the most decorated entertainers of the twentieth century. She overcame extreme poverty to build a career that crossed every boundary of genre and medium.

Waters began as a blues and jazz singer, one of the first African American women to record for a major label, and her recordings from the nineteen twenties remain landmarks of the era. She then conquered Broadway, becoming one of the highest-paid performers of her time. Her song catalog includes Grammy Hall of Fame inductees. When she moved to acting, the honors followed: an Academy Award nomination for her role in Pinky in nineteen forty-nine, and an Emmy nomination for a television dramatic performance, honors from both the Academy Awards and the Emmys that few performers of her day could match. Chester does not forget her.