also fell in love with Moten, and they married in 1934.

Armed with letters of introduction, the singer auditioned for a Broadway play and got a part in "Fast and Furious," which ran only for a few performances. Then she secured a role in "Zombie," which went on the road. Eventually, she made her way to the West Coast.

In Hollywood, Barnett dubbed voices for Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers and other actresses in several films, and appeared in two films.

Both roles were small -- in "Flying Down to Rio," she was listed simply as Etta Moten: The Black Singer. In "Rio," she was among several who sang "The Carioca," a production number showcasing the newly matched Fred Astaire and Rogers. "Say, have you seen a Carioca?" Barnett sang, a widesmile on her face. "It has a meter that is tricky/ A bit of wicked wacky-wicky." The song, which Barnett performed with a basket of fruit piled in her hair, was nominated for an Academy Award.

Barnett's role in the other film, "Gold Diggers of 1933," was a breakthrough for an African American actress, even though Barnett was not in the credits.

In it, Barnett sings a chorus of "Remember the Forgotten Man," a lament about World War I: "Remember my forgotten man/ You put a rifle in his hand/ You sent him far away/ You shouted, 'Hip, hooray!'/ But look at him today!"

Like the white actresses who also sing portions of this song, Barnett is posed glamorously in a window of a tenement house -- a character far from