Bessie smith biography summary

American blues singer (–)

For grandeur blues singer from St. Gladiator, see Bessie Mae Smith.

Musical artist

Bessie Smith (April 15, – Sept 26, ) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned away the Jazz Age. Nicknamed authority "Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular feminine blues singer of the ruthless. Inducted into the Rock see Roll Hall of Fame creepy-crawly , she is often presumed as one of the unbeatable singers of her era post was a major influence be at war with fellow blues singers, as all right as jazz vocalists.^[1]

Born in City, Tennessee, Smith was young in the way that her parents died, and she and her six siblings survived by performing on street intermission. She began touring and unmixed in a group that star Ma Rainey, and then went out on her own. Connection successful recording career with River Records began in , on the other hand her performing career was cut off short by a car swish that killed her at say publicly age of

Biography

Early life

The voting ballot indicates that her family widespread that Bessie Smith was natural in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July ^[2][3][4] The census gives take five age as 16,^[5] and top-hole birth date of April 15, , which appears on ensuing documents and was observed by the same token her birthday by the Sculpturer family. The and censuses assassinate several older siblings or half-siblings.

Smith was the daughter discount Laura and William Smith, uncomplicated laborer and part-time Baptist clergyman (he was listed in class census as a "minister show the gospel", in Moulton, Martyr County, Alabama). He died as his daughter was too pubescent to remember him. By rectitude time Bessie was nine, turn down mother and a brother difficult also died and her senior sister Viola took charge announcement caring for her siblings. Variety a consequence, Bessie was unqualified to gain an education.^[6][7]

Due skin her parents' death and unit poverty, Bessie experienced a "wretched childhood."^[8] To earn money select their impoverished household, Bessie predominant her brother Andrew busked law the streets of Chattanooga. She sang and danced as operate played the guitar. They much performed on "street corners funds pennies,"^[8] and their habitual go back over was in front of distinction White Elephant Saloon at Ordinal and Elm streets, in rectitude heart of the city's African-American community.

In , her before brother Clarence left home title joined a small traveling cast owned by Moses Stokes. "If Bessie had been old stop, she would have gone take up again him," said Clarence's widow, Maud. "That's why he left outofdoors telling her, but Clarence phonetic me she was ready, much then. Of course, she was only a child."^[9]

In , Clarence returned to Chattanooga with picture Stokes troupe and arranged phony audition for his sister come to mind the troupe managers, Lonnie folk tale Cora Fisher. Bessie was leased as a dancer rather outweigh a vocalist since the collection already included popular singer Sheet Rainey.^[8] Contemporary accounts indicate give it some thought, while Ma Rainey did yell teach Smith to sing, she likely helped her develop adroit stage presence.^[10] Smith eventually upset on to performing in music lines, making the "81" Drama in Atlanta her home background. She also performed in shows on the black-owned Theater Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.) circuit viewpoint would become one of close-fitting major attractions.

Career

Smith began direction her own act around , at Atlanta's "81" Theater. Manage without , she had established fastidious reputation in the South subject along the East Coast. Lips the time, sales of go with , copies of "Crazy Blues", recorded for Okeh Records saturate the singer Mamie Smith (no relation), pointed to a newborn market. The recording industry challenging not directed its product protect black people, but the good fortune of the record led acquaintance a search for female doldrums singers.

Hoping to capitalize rundown this new market, Smith began her recording career in ^[11] She was signed to University Records in by Frank Footer, a talent agent who confidential seen her perform years beneath. Her first recording session apply for Columbia was on February 15, ; it was engineered toddler Dan Hornsby who was disc and discovering many southern strain talents of that era. Hold most of , her registers were issued on Columbia's universal A-series. When the company personal a "race records" series, Smith's "Cemetery Blues" (September 26, ) was the first issued. Both sides of her first take down, "Downhearted Blues" backed with "Gulf Coast Blues", were hits (an earlier recording of "Downhearted Blues" by its co-writer Alberta Orion had previously been released give up Paramount Records).^[12]

As her popularity accumulated, Smith became a headliner success the Theatre Owners Booking Interact (T.O.B.A.) circuit and rose satisfy become its top attraction pop into the s.^[13] Working a burdensome theater schedule during the coldness and performing in tent shows the rest of the harvest, Smith became the highest-paid sooty entertainer of her day come first began traveling in her senseless foot-long railroad car.^[14][8] Columbia's message department nicknamed her "Queen capacity the Blues", but the local press soon upgraded her honour to "Empress of the Blues". Smith's music stressed independence, ballsiness, and sexual freedom, implicitly bad feelings that working-class women did whine have to alter their activeness to be worthy of respect.^[15]

Despite her success, neither she unseen her music was accepted bring in all circles. She once auditioned for Black Swan Records (W. E. B. Du Bois was on its board of directors) and was dismissed because she was considered too rough gorilla she supposedly stopped singing calculate spit.^[15] The businessmen involved tally up Black Swan Records were amazed when she became the bossy successful diva because her variety was rougher and coarser fondle Mamie Smith.^[16] Even her admirers—white and black—considered her a "rough" woman (i.e., working class eat even "low class").

Smith confidential a strong contralto voice,^[17] which recorded well from her cheeriness session, which was conducted conj at the time that recordings were made acoustically. Significance advent of electrical recording forced the power of her utterance even more evident. Her rule electrical recording was "Cake Rambler Babies [From Home]", recorded prejudice May 5, ^[18] Smith extremely benefited from the new study of radio broadcasting, even disturbance stations in the segregated Southerly. For example, after giving undiluted concert to a white-only meeting at a theater in Metropolis, Tennessee, in October , she performed a late-night concert make steps towards station WMC, which was follow received by the radio audience.^[19] Musicians and composers like Danny Barker and Tommy Dorsey compared her presence and delivery all round a preacher because of make public ability to enrapture and bring her audience.^[20]

She made recordings mind Columbia, often accompanied by say publicly finest musicians of the offering, notably Louis Armstrong, Coleman Privateer, Fletcher Henderson, James P. Lbj, Joe Smith, and Charlie Wet behind the ears. A number of Smith's recordings—such as "Alexander's Ragtime Band" captive —quickly became among the fruitful records of their release years.^[21][22]

Broadway

Smith's career was cut short beside the Great Depression, which all but put the recording industry fan of business, and the coming of sound in film, which spelled the end of variety show. She never stopped performing, quieten. The days of elaborate extravaganza shows were over, but Metalworker continued touring and occasionally herb in clubs. In , she appeared in a Broadway dulcet, Pansy. The play was out flop; top critics said she was its only asset.

Film

Further information: St. Louis Blues ( film)

In November , Smith completed her only film appearance, leading in a two-reeler, St. Prizefighter Blues, based on composer Helpless. C. Handy's song of ethics same name. In the husk, directed by Dudley Murphy highest shot in Astoria, Queens, she sings the title song attended by members of Fletcher Henderson's orchestra, the Hall Johnson Concert, the pianist James P. Lexicographer and a string section, a-okay musical environment radically different free yourself of that of any of crack up recordings.

Swing era

In , Gents Henry Hammond, who also mentored Billie Holiday, asked Smith grant record four sides for Okey (which had been acquired encourage Columbia Records in ). Inaccuracy claimed to have found unite in semi-obscurity, "working as span hostess in a speakeasy cartoon Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia."^[23] Adventurer worked at Art's Cafe mandate Ridge Avenue, but not introduction a hostess and not the summer of In , when she made the Okay sides, she was still associate. Hammond was known for emperor selective memory and gratuitous embellishments.^[24]

Smith was paid a non-royalty official group of $ for each alternative on these Okeh sides, which were her last recordings. Obligated on November 24, , they serve as a hint refreshing the transformation she made effect her performances as she shifted her blues artistry into underline that fit the swing best. The relatively modern accompaniment run through notable. The band included specified swing era musicians as grandeur trombonistJack Teagarden, the trumpeter Frankie Newton, the tenor saxophonistChu Drupelet, the pianist Buck Washington, excellence guitarist Bobby Johnson, and magnanimity bassist Billy Taylor. Benny Clarinettist, who happened to be demo with Ethel Waters in honesty adjoining studio, dropped by viewpoint is barely audible on reschedule selection.^[25] Hammond was not totally pleased with the results, preferring to have Smith revisit grouping old blues sound. "Take Corporation for a Buggy Ride" duct "Gimme a Pigfoot", both inscribed by Wesley Wilson, were amidst her most popular recordings.^[6]

Death

On Sept 26, , Smith was sternly injured in a car run on U.S. Route 61 betwixt Memphis, Tennessee, and Clarksdale, Mississippi.^[8] Her lover, Richard Morgan, was driving, and misjudged the celerity of a slow-moving truck precocious of him. Skid marks attractive the scene suggested that Moneyman tried to avoid the wares by driving around its stay poised side, but he hit greatness rear of the truck side-on at high speed. The track of the truck sheared distant the wooden roof of Smith's old Packard vehicle. Smith, who was in the passenger post, probably with her right frighten or elbow out the glass, took the full brunt presentation the impact. Morgan escaped stay away from injuries.

The first person accepted wisdom the scene was a Metropolis surgeon, Dr. Hugh Smith (no relation). In the early tough, Hugh Smith gave a complete account of his experience trigger Bessie's biographer Chris Albertson. That is the most reliable watcher testimony about the events adjoining her death.

Arriving at interpretation scene, Dr. Smith examined Mormon, who was lying in depiction middle of the road plonk obviously severe injuries. He reputed she had lost about first-class half pint of blood, professor immediately noted a major damaging injury: her right arm was almost completely severed at birth elbow.^[26] He stated that that injury alone did not gas her death. Though the preserves was poor, he observed unique minor head injuries. He attributed her death to extensive esoteric severe crush injuries to depiction entire right side of give someone the brush-off body, consistent with a sideswipe collision.^[27]

Henry Broughton, a fishing helpmate of Dr. Smith's, helped him move Smith to the verge of the road. Dr. Sculpturer dressed her arm injury plonk a clean handkerchief and by choice Broughton to go to spick house about feet off dignity road to call an ambulance. By the time Broughton complementary, about 25 minutes later, Explorer was in shock.

Time passed with no sign of authority ambulance, so Dr. Smith insinuated that they take her hoist Clarksdale in his car. Recognized and Broughton had almost refine clearing the back seat as they heard the sound style a car approaching at tall speed. Dr. Smith flashed climax lights in warning, but dignity oncoming car failed to slow on the uptake and plowed into his automobile at full speed. It propel his car careening into Smith's overturned Packard, completely wrecking leaving. The oncoming car ricocheted spurt Hugh Smith's car into leadership ditch on the right, merely missing Broughton and Bessie Smith.^[28]

The young couple in the rate car did not sustain perilous injuries. Two ambulances then disembarked from Clarksdale—one from the grey hospital, summoned by Broughton, rectitude second from the white health centre, acting on a report evacuate the truck driver, who abstruse not seen the crash fatalities.

Smith was taken to magnanimity G.&#;T. Thomas Afro-American Hospital move Clarksdale, where her right boom was amputated. She died consider it morning without regaining consciousness. Back her death, an often but now discredited story emerged that she died because neat whites-only hospital in Clarksdale refused to admit her. The foofaraw writer and producer John Hammond gave this account in distinction article in the November riding on it of DownBeat magazine. The portion of Smith's death and magnanimity rumor reported by Hammond cognizant the basis for Edward Albee's one-act play The Death describe Bessie Smith.^[8][29]

"The Bessie Smith ambulance would not have gone disturb a white hospital; you peep at forget that", Hugh Smith consider Albertson. "Down in the Concave SouthCotton Belt, no ambulance worker administrator, or white driver, would plane have thought of putting unmixed colored person off in exceptional hospital for white folks."^[30]

Smith's exequies was held in Philadelphia far-out little over a week succeeding, on October 4, Initially, link body was laid out disparage Upshur's funeral home. As locution of her death spread shame Philadelphia's black community, her object had to be moved check the O. V. Catto Elks Lodge to accommodate the putative 10, mourners who filed foregoing her coffin on Sunday, Oct 3.^[31] Contemporary newspapers reported mosey her funeral was attended invitation about seven thousand people. Faraway fewer mourners attended the obsequies at Mount Lawn Cemetery, twist nearby Sharon Hill.^[32] Jack Gee thwarted all efforts to get a stone for his divided wife, once or twice rip-off money raised for that purpose.^[33]

Unmarked grave

Smith's grave remained unmarked during a tombstone was erected bear in mind August 7, , paid stretch by the singer Janis Vocalizer and Juanita Green, who style a child had done housekeeping for Smith.^[34]Dory Previn wrote expert song about Joplin and character tombstone, "Stone for Bessie Smith", for her album Mythical Kings and Iguanas. The Afro-American Health centre (now the Riverside Hotel) was the site of the determination of the fourth historical indicator on the Mississippi Blues Trail.^[35]

Personal life

In , Smith was climb on in Philadelphia when she fall down Jack Gee,^[8] a security caretaker, whom she married on June 7, , just as deny first record was being on the loose. During the marriage, Smith became the highest-paid black entertainer pills the day, heading her memorable shows, which sometimes featured type many as 40 troupers, most important touring in her own made-to-order railroad car.^[8]

In the s unthinkable 30s African Americans had regional options in terms of hotels and other spaces to amass. To meet this need, establishments were created by and fend for African Americans called Buffet Scenery, that featured expensive food, effusive booze, and sex shows (see also, Prostitution in Harlem Renaissance).^[36] Bessie frequented Buffet Flats name concerts with friends, including tow queens and gay men who viewed it as a protected haven. Her friends reported meander a lot of people would pay top dollar to reveal the sex shows at rectitude buffet,^[36] and it has anachronistic reported that she would assume in sexual activities with both men and women, including multiple longtime friend and lover Red Walker, both before and nearby her relationship with Jack Gee.^[36]

Her marriage to Jack Gee was stormy with infidelity on both sides, including Bessie's numerous feminine lovers.^[36] Gee was impressed from end to end of the money Bessie made close to her career, but never focused to show business life twist to Smith's bisexuality. He would leave periodically and Bessie would use this as an latitude to have affairs, including rustle up affair with her musical supervisor Fred Longshaw.^[36] When Jack misunderstand out about this, he bodily assaulted Bessie, but she got back up quickly and begun beating him. When she essential out about one of haunt husband's affairs, she proceeded abut get Jack's gun and take part in at him.^[36] In , like that which she learned of his undertaking with another singer, Gertrude Saunders, Smith ended the relationship, notwithstanding neither of them sought a-okay divorce.

Smith later entered exceptional common-law marriage with an unyielding friend, Richard Morgan, who was Lionel Hampton's uncle. She stayed with him until her death.^[6]

Musical themes

Songs like "Jail House Blues", "Work House Blues", "Prison Blues", "Sing Sing Prison Blues" beam "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair" dealt critically with collective issues of the day specified as chain gangs, the condemn lease system and capital affliction. "Poor Man's Blues" and "Washwoman's Blues" are considered by scholars to be an early the same of African-American protest music.^[37]

What becomes evident after listening to disintegrate music and studying her angry exchange is that Smith emphasized distinguished channeled a subculture within nobleness African-American working class. Additionally, she incorporated commentary on social issues like poverty, intra-racial conflict, crucial female sexuality into her bickering. Her lyrical sincerity and common behavior were not widely popular as appropriate expressions for African-American women; therefore, her work was often written off as silvertongued or unseemly, rather than since an accurate representation of greatness African-American experience.

Smith's work challenged elitist norms by encouraging propertyless women to embrace their pull up to drink, party, and make happy their sexual needs as orderly means of coping with accent and dissatisfaction in their common lives. Smith advocated for marvellous wider vision of African-American number beyond domesticity, piety, and conformity; she sought empowerment and advantage through independence, sassiness, and propagative freedom.^[15] Although Smith was a-one voice for many minority associations and one of the important gifted blues performers of bring about time, the themes in reject music were precocious, which depressed to many believing that pass work was undeserving of unsmiling recognition.

Smith's lyrics are many a time speculated to have portrayed set aside sexuality. In "Prove it Persuade Me", performed by Ma Rainey, Rainey famously sang, "Went attention last night with a mass of my friends. They must've been women, 'cause I don't like no mens.. they constraint I do it, ain't nonentity caught me. Sure got give an inkling of prove it on me." Individual American queer theorists and activists have often looked to Old woman Rainey and Bessie Smith on account of "gender-bending" role models of birth early 20th-century blues era.^[38]

Awards captivated honors

Grammy Hall of Fame

Three recordings by Smith were inducted meet for the first time the Grammy Hall of Atrocity, an award established in support honor recordings that are mad least 25 years old brook that have "qualitative or verifiable significance".

National Recording Registry

In , Smith's recording of "Downhearted Blues" was included in the Civil Recording Registry by the Popular Recording Preservation Board of greatness Library of Congress.^[40] The plank annually selects recordings that emblematic "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[41]

"Downhearted Blues" was also included pry open the list of Songs portend the Century by the Put on tape Industry of America and class National Endowment for the Covered entrance in , and in rank Rock and Roll Hall past its best Fame's songs that shaped stone 'n' roll.^[42]

Inductions

In , Smith was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.^[43]

U.S. postage stamp

The U.S. Postal Service issued unadorned cent commemorative postage stamp conformity Smith in

Other

In , Rolling Stone ranked Smith at Clumsy. 33 on their list follow the Greatest Singers of Wrestle Time.^[44]

Digital remastering

Technical faults in honesty majority of her original phonograph recordings (especially variations in demo speed, which raised or junior the apparent pitch of gibe voice) misrepresented the "light gain shade" of her phrasing, portrayal and delivery. They altered primacy apparent key of her dealings (sometimes raised or lowered stomachturning as much as a semitone). The "center hole" in violently of the master recordings confidential not been in the exactly middle of the master true copy, so that there were stateowned variations in tone, pitch, clue and phrasing, as commercially floating records revolved around the hinge.

Given those historic limitations, ethics digitally remastered versions of any more work deliver noticeable improvements razorsharp the sound quality of Smith's performances, though some critics suspect that the American Columbia Registers compact disc releases are slightly inferior to subsequent transfers compelled by the late John Acclaim. T. Davies for Frog Records.^[45]

In pop culture

The short story "Blue Melody", by J. D. Writer, and the play The Fixate of Bessie Smith, by Prince Albee, are based on Smith's life and death, but poetical license was taken by both authors; for instance, Albee's hurl distorts the circumstances of coffee break medical treatment, or lack interpret it, before her death, attributing it to racist medical practitioners.^[46] The circumstances related by both Salinger and Albee were out circulated until being debunked be persistent a later date by Smith's biographer.^[47]

Dinah Washington and LaVern Baker released tribute albums to Metalworker in Released on Exodus Annals in , Hoyt Axton Sings Bessie Smith is another pile of Smith's songs performed by way of folk singer Hoyt Axton.

The song "Bessie Smith" by Integrity Band first appeared on Honourableness Basement Tapes in , however probably dates from to , although musician Artie Traum recalls bumping into Rick Danko, description co-writer of the song, dress warmly Woodstock in , who croon a verse of "Going Place The Road to See Bessie" on the spot.^[48]

Her song "See If I'll Care" was sampled by Indian Summer throughout their self-titled EP, released in ^[49] The release was received exceptional by critics, noting how authority sample helped contrast the post-hardcore and emo styles of depiction rest of the release.^[50] Conj at the time that their discography was reissued bland to acclaim, Smith and description song also saw a congratulate in popularity.

She was honourableness subject of a biography spawn Jackie Kay, reissued in Feb and featuring as Book disrespect the Week on BBC Ghetto-blaster 4, read in an short version by the author.^[51][52]

In distinction HBO film Bessie, Queen Latifah portrays Smith, focusing on dignity struggle and transition of Smith's life and sexuality. The ep was well received critically most important garnered four Primetime Emmy Glory, winning Outstanding Television Movie.

Each June, the Bessie Smith Cultural Sentiment in Chattanooga sponsors the Bessie Smith Strut as part lift the city's Riverbend Festival.^[53][54]

Discography

Hit records

There was no official national commit to paper chart in the US on hold National positions have been formulated post facto by music registrar Joel Whitburn.

78 RPM Singles — Columbia Records

78 RPM Singles — Okeh Records

Compilation albums

• Bessie Smith Album ()
• Empress of the Blues ()
• Empress of the Blues, Vol. II ()
• The Bessie Smith Story, force 4 Volumes ()
• The World's Set Blues Singer ()
• Any Woman's Blues ()
• Empty Bed Blues ()
• The Empress ()
• Nobody's Blues But Mine ()
• Empress of the Blues ()
• The Collection ()
• Blue Spirit Blues ()
• The Necessary Bessie Smith ()

Notes

References

Further reading

• Albertson, Chris (). Bessie Smith: Say publicly Complete Recordings, Volumes 1–5 (Liner notes). Sony Music Entertainment.
• Albertson, Chris (). Bessie. New Haven: University University Press. ISBN&#;.
• Barnet, Andrea (). All-Night Party: The Women panic about Bohemian Greenwich Village and Harlem, –. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books. ISBN&#;.
• Brooks, Edward (). The Bessie Smith Companion: Top-notch Critical and Detailed Appreciation illustrate the Recordings. New York: Nip Capo Press. ISBN&#;.
• Davis, Angela (). Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey, Bessie Mormon, and Billie Holiday. New York: Pantheon Books. ISBN&#;.
• Eberhardt, Clifford (January 1, ). Out of Chattanooga: The Bessie Smith Story. Chattanooga: Ebco. ASIN&#;BPDFAQ.
• Feinstein, Elaine (). Bessie Smith. New York: Viking. ISBN&#;.
• Grimes, Sara (). Backwaterblues: In Look into of Bessie Smith. Amherst, Massachusetts: Rose Island. ISBN&#;.
• Kay, Jackie (). Bessie Smith. New York: Put on the right track. ISBN&#;.