born Oct. 31, 1896/1900, Chester, Pa., U.S.
died Sept. 1, 1977, Chatsworth, Calif.
U.S. blues and jazz singer and actress.
She was a professional singer by age 17, and she recorded with jazzmen such as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman in the 1930s. She made her Broadway debut in the Africana revue (1927) and later had a lead role in Blackbirds (1930). In 1933 she appeared in Irving Berlin 's musical As Thousands Cheer , in which she sang "Heat Wave" and "Suppertime." Her later stage successes included Cabin in the Sky (1940; film, 1943) and The Member of the Wedding (1950; film, 1952). She also acted in films such as Pinky (1949) and The Sound and the Fury (1959).