Classic female blues
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Classic female blues was an early form of blues music, dominated by women that was popular in the 1920s in the United States. An amalgam of traditional folk blues and urban theater music, the style is
Bessie Smith was the highest-paid black artist of the 1920s
Ethel Waters
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Ethel Waters was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her nota
Classic female blues
…blues were performed by female singers accompanied by pianists or small jazz ensembles and were the first blues to be recorded. Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, and the other singers in this genre were instrumental in spreading the popularity of the blues. Women in blues were instrumental in influencing later…
Waters in costume in 1939
Waters performs with Count Basie in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
Waters c. 1945
Waters in 1957