Ethel Caffie-Austin
Ethel Caffie-Austin (born February 11, 1949) is an American gospel musician. She is known as the "First Lady of West Virginia Gospel Music." She is a skilled pianist and teacher and features on a 2-DVD set called Learn to Play Gospel Piano on which she teaches the basics of gospel piano. In 2020, she was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. Early life 
Caffie-Austin was born on February 11, 1949 in Bluefield, West Virginia and raised near Mount Hope, West Virginia. She began playing piano at the age of six and began playing at her father's church at the age of nine. Caffie-Austin is a graduate of West Virginia University Institute of Technology, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Language Arts. Caffie-Austin formed The Collegiate Gospel Choir at West Virginia Tech in 1967. Legacy
Caffie-Austin was the subject of a 1999 documentary film titled "His Eye is on the Sparrow," and a 1997 edition of Goldenseal magazine titled “Hand-Clapping and Hallelujahs: A Visit with Ethel Caffie-Austin.”

Personal life
Caffie-Austin maintained a private relationship with Michael Jackson after meeting him at a convention in the 1990s, but would never publicly discuss her friendship with Jackson due to fear of receiving unwanted attention. Caffie-Austin described Jackson as a "prayer partner" and stated Jackson would always call her when he needed prayed for. Discography

Albums

See also

References

External links
 Ethel-Caffie Austin's biography at The West Virginia Encyclopedia
 A documentary film on the life of Ethel Caffie-Austin at Morehead State University
 Ethel Caffie-Austin's Induction at the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame narrated by Larry Groce at YouTube

1949 births
20th-century American singers
20th-century American women singers
20th-century African-American women singers
Singers from West Virginia
Living people
West Virginia University Institute of Technology alumni
People from Bluefield, West Virginia
People from Mount Hope, West Virginia