Talk:Ethel Waters

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Gay Icon Project
In my effort to merge the now-deleted list from the article Gay icon to the Gay icons category, I have added this page to the category. I engaged in this effort as a "human script", adding everyone from the list to the category, bypassing the fact-checking stage. That is what I am relying on you to do. Please check the article Gay icon and make a judgment as to whether this person or group fits the category. By distributing this task from the regular editors of one article to the regular editors of several articles, I believe that the task of fact-checking this information can be expedited. Thank you very much. Philwelch 22:19, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)


 * Slag off! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.127.236.222 (talk) 18:38, 30 August 2009 (UTC)


 * What's the support for all the lesbian categories? I found some on looking it up, but it just indicates she had some affairs with women. Not that she considered herself a lesbian or was deemed so by others. In her later life I imagine she would outright reject such an image.--T. Anthony 14:29, 5 November 2006 (UTC)


 * As we have no source of her as being an advocate, outspoken or her sexuality being even a minor part of her work, I think we should remove her from the list. It is not mentioned in her article either. --Knulclunk 03:13, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

A rather sad state of affairs when, someone has to state sexuality when it did not influence the artist's work or image. No wonder Wikipedia is shunned by academia "en masse." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.244.188.131 (talk) 02:58, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

A rather sad state of affairs that some straight people feel driven to purge from Wikipedia articles any reference to subjects' non-heterosexuality despite, as here, references being given (Waters mentions this in her autobiography. Vauxhall1964 (talk) 10:27, 17 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Having read her autobiographies, I did not see that mentioned. She was quite candid about her multiple affairs with men, but does not mention her non-hetrosexuality. 50.71.179.187 (talk) 21:36, 15 August 2012 (UTC)


 * I have added a reference from an academic history book concerning her bisexuality.Zigzig20s (talk) 22:30, 11 January 2008 (UTC)


 * The references mention that she was suspected to have had a love affair with woman, in her early career. There are no source documents given. 50.71.179.187 (talk) 21:36, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Early Life
The section ended mid-sentence, so I copy-pasted the lost chunk to it from the last edit where it still was included. As I've done nothing but restoring old text, I have no idea how correct it is. If this text is incorrect, someone please fix it. 83.249.236.210 07:57, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Ethelwaters-cvr2.jpg
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BetacommandBot 14:51, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Rosetta Reitz-?actual biographer of Ethel Waters?
Oops! > pressed the wrong "preview" button on previous edit (q.v.), before putting up my main concerns: 1)does anyone know the source, in fact, of Rosetta Reitz' actual biography of Ethel Waters?--as mentioned 3 or 4 times in this article without citation. (If so, pls provide same here, or as proper citation in the article).  2) NB: Current reading of article: >>According to source Rosetta Reitz, Ethel Waters apparently left Harlem for a time and "returned to Harlem in 1921";  >>Is this leaving and "returned to Harlem in 1921" verified, or verifiable? (as from the source material of Reitz? or anywhere else?). Anyone know? Pls advise here.--Jbeans (talk) 09:54, 10 June 2010 (UTC)

>>2nd Call for Help & NOTICE: Pls see above Disc'n; I cannot verify that Rosetta Reitz is a biographer of Ethel Waters. Do YOU know something of this? Do you know of the source bio? Pls advise. Otherwise, by June 30, 2010, if I hear nothing contrary I will edit-out the mentions of RR as biographer of EW.--Jbeans (talk) 10:03, 22 June 2010 (UTC)

"she had once been a Catholic"?
Wasn't she a Roman Catholic when she was singing in the Billy Graham meetings? Where's the evidence that she ever left the Catholic Church? Rammer (talk) 02:05, 7 September 2011 (UTC)

career, later career, personal life,
Ethel at one time had her own touring jazz band with I believe one of her famous musician husbands. I think she was married twice or thrice but check her biographies. Also, she attributed the break in her career in the 1950's to an dishonest booking manager who told clients she was not available so he could push other acts he had when she was actually available and anxious to work. Also, in the 1930's she had a mansion in Hollywood which was hit with eminent domain law so it could be torn down for a new expressway and she was on contract performing in New York City and her maid stayed in the California house to try to delay the bulldozers etc., it was a significant news event. I also recall seeing Ethel on Pearl Bailey's and Della Reese's TV shows in the 1960's. On Pearlie Mae's show she was not able to walk and so they put her behind the curtains sitting down with a large dress spread out around her and then opened the curtain and Pearlie Mae walked over to her and they talked and she sang and then they closed the curtain ie., she may have been using a wheelchair at this time. 1959 was a significant year in her life as she went to a Billy Graham crusade and he would form impromptu choirs from the people in the audience and she joined one of those choirs and they recognized her as the famous Ethel Waters and asked her to sing a solo song - Eye on Sparrow was chosen, and she made it "her" song and it was all unplanned and she then did many more appearances planned with the Billy Graham crusades and other Christian programs. I think as part of her life, her mental state should be commented upon as it evolved in later life -- she artistically disowned "Hollywood" and possibly some of her own earlier work and wanted to do evangelistic work for the rest of her life but her health did not allow much activity. It's hard to say if she was truly religiously converted on a deeper level in later life or was simply frustrated in her later years and masked emotional turmoil with religious sentiments. The press announcements and media interviews she made about 3 years before her death showed signs of senile dementia or a slight personality disorder or persecution complex. She had several recording contracts in the 1960's and 1970's, in addition to appearing on some Billy Graham Crusade audio and video productions: 2 LP's for WORD label in Waco, Texas and one or two other gospel/spiritual LP's in her later years. Her finances were very low and a Caucasian couple took care of her in their home in California until she passed on. These are just some of the significant parts of her life, career and recorded works which I feel are not included in this brief Wiki biography which would cast a more accurate snapshot of her entire life and career, not to mention the racially charged atmosphere which existed when she was in the movie: "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" - very significant in pre-civil rights days but it would require a sociologist with a doctorate degree to analyze this aspect of her career involving race relations. Also, my understanding was that Ethel Waters was never Roman Catholic but that she regularly sent money to nuns in a particular convent as contributions/tithes. All of this information is clearly documented in newspaper articles, TV shows, her biographies, issued recordings, magazine articles and music history sources/books. I also recall a documentary on TV from the 1970's in which she explained her current career and activities in detail. 173.169.139.35 (talk) 06:07, 23 February 2013 (UTC)mj


 * oh come on.. none of you Wikietts noticed this?? guess you're too young, millennies... First: 'she was in the movie: "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner"'..??!! Really? where? what scene(s)? If you be refering to Tillie..?, No, that was Isabel Sanford. Geez, people get your shit together.. or dont even contribute.. Second: '...very significant in pre-civil rights days...' Ah, it WAS civil rights DAYS, smack dab in the midst of it. That's a major aspect to the making of the film, with Tracy and Hepburn involved made it even greater. 2600:1700:A760:C10:8539:7BA0:3973:222E (talk) 03:53, 6 September 2018 (UTC)

Joel Whitburn's charts
There is some criticism about Joel Whitburn's charts. See - here, as well as old revisions of Joel Whitburn Limitless undying love (talk) 19:41, 14 July 2015 (UTC)
 * I've added a footnote. Thanks for pointing this out.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 20:25, 14 July 2015 (UTC)

musical career - Jazz Band
I distinctly remember Ethel Waters had her own traveling jazz band with her name top billing. Her current heterosexual male husband was one of the members, too. There are pictures in one of her biographies of the band in their bus on the road. One of the famous musicians later played with Duke Ellington. I don't recall if they recorded on wax under the Ethel Waters Jazz Band name, possibly not. I did run across a 1933 newspaper article about Ethel Waters and it listed the several people on her personal payroll, including some in her traveling entourage. Also, I think it was important that she lost her mansion in Los Angeles under eminent domain condemnation due to highway construction while she was working in NYC. Jean-Pierre St. John — Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.76.210.2 (talk) 17:52, 12 August 2015 (UTC)

File:Ethel Waters - William P. Gottlieb.jpg to appear as POTD
Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Ethel Waters - William P. Gottlieb.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on September 1, 2015. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2015-09-01. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page. Thanks! — Chris Woodrich (talk) 01:07, 15 August 2015 (UTC)

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