Ethel Waters was born on October 31, 1896 in Chester, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Louisa Tar Anderson and John Wesley Waters. Ethel’s birth was a result of rape by her father John Waters. Once Ethel became a young child, her mother moved away. Once her mom moved away, her grandmother took her in. Since her grandmother worked to help them survive, Ethel spent most of her time with her aunts. Once Ethel turned 12 years old, she married Merritt Purnsley. After two years of marriage, they got divorced. Ethel had many relationships with a drug addict and thief. She was married and divorced three times through out her life. She used her emotions from her relationships and reflected them in her music. Ethel’s first job was working as a chambermaid and a laundress in a hotel. On her birthday, her friends convinced her to perform at a party/ contest. After singing, Braxton and Nugent offered $10 a week to join the team of…show more content… In the song, “Oh, Daddy” the overall theme of the song is talking about her abusive father and how he left her and her mother. With Ethel’s soulful and long gated voice she gives a sense of sadness and loneliness. This short section of the song shows that:
“Oh, Daddy, look what you're doing, look what you're doing! Oh, Daddy! You with you fooling; Think what you're losing, Oh, all the little lovings that I gave for you, It's going to make you feel awfully blue, When you miss me and long to kiss me, You'll regret the day that you ever quit me.” ("WATERS ETHEL - OH, DADDY LYRICS")
With these words, Ethel puts the listener in her shoes and allows them to feel the sadness and the loneliness that she feels. Not only is there a feeling that she is lonely but also she is telling her father that she hopes that he is lonely too. But also wishes that her dad will regret the day that he left her family. Through out her music, she shows a sensation of depressing but inviting music that allows people into her