Now You Has Jazz Jazz Jazz - Ethel Waters - Part 1 - Monday 21st March @7pm

Monday’s (21st March) “Now You Has Jazz, Jazz, Jazz”, profiles an almost forgotten jazz and blues singer who had a massive influence on later singers such as Bing Crosby, Mildred Bailey, Lee Wiley, Ella Fitzgerald and Connee Boswell.

Born as a product of the rape of her 13 year old mother, Ethel Waters, 1896 -1977, was known as Sweet Mama String Bean. She recorded two years before Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey and in contrast to their “shouting” style of singing the Blues, Ethel had a lighter and more flexible voice, which enabled her to sing ballads and standards along with her own Blues.

She introduced several jazz and American standards, including “Dinah”, “Sweet Georgia Brown”, “Sugar”, “Stormy Weather” and “Takin’ a Chance on Love”.

She tackled a song about a lynching, “Suppertime”, composed by Irving Berlin, several years before Billie Holiday’s “Stage Fruit”.

She moved out of the tent shows and black venues onto Broadway and the sophisticated white clientele. She was associated with the Cotton Club. She appeared in Europe and sang for the Prince of Wales.

She became a straight dramatic actress and a movie star. Here is her first movie appearance in 1929 introducing the hit, “Am I Blue”.

She starred in the all black movie, “Cabin in the Sky”, with Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Ethel was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance of “Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe”.

A woman of deep faith, she turned to gospel music in her latter years and toured with evangelist Billy Graham.

In part one, we look at Ethel’s first recordings and her in her own words about her early life. Tracks with Fletcher Henderson, Clarence Williams, James P Johnson, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey are included, as well as clips by Bessie, Ma and a great track by Bing Crosby, which shows Ethel’s influence on the young crooner.

Tune in to the “Sound of Spitfire” on Monday 21st March @7pm.

The shows are repeated on Wednesday afternoon at 2 pm and 1am on Thursday morning.

Tune into to Now You Has Jazz, Jazz, Jazz here: https://www.soundofspitfire.co.uk/