In addition to her vocal dubbing and on-screen film credits, Etta Moten
played the role of Bess in the 1943 revival of "Porgy and Bess" at the
personal request of Ira Gershwin (not George, who had died in 1937).
Etta and husband Claude Barnett, founder of the Negro Associated Press, served as US representatives to the independence celebrations of Ghana and several other African countries. Also a radio journalist, Etta interviewed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after the ceremonies in Ghana on March 6, 1957, and conducted her own radio show for WMAQ/NBC in Chicago for many years.
Etta Moten became the first African-American stage and screen star to
sing and perform at the White House (at the invitation of President and
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt) on January 31, 1933.
Living in Chicago and recently celebrated her 100th
birthday.
Inducted into the Black Film-Makers Hall of Fame.
Studied voice and drama at the University of Kansas.