[1][2][3] Known for her skills as a pianist and vocalist, she was dubbed the "First Lady of West Virginia Gospel Music".

[6] Caffie-Austin taught English studies in West Virginia public schools for 20 years.

[7][11] She founded the Black Sacred Music Festival at West Virginia State University.

Caffie-Austin recorded two songs for The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute to the Anthology of American Folk Music (1998).

Caffie-Austin was the subject of a 1999 documentary film titled "His Eye is on the Sparrow,"[13] for Kentucky Educational Television (KET) and a 1997 edition of Goldenseal magazine titled “Hand-Clapping and Hallelujahs: A Visit with Ethel Caffie-Austin.”[6] She was nominated in 2019 to be inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame[14] and was inducted during a televised ceremony on November 14, 2020,[15] during which she also performed.