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Bessie Smith
1936 photograph by Carl Van Vechten
1936 photograph by Carl Van Vechten
Background information
Born April 15, 1894(1894-04-15)
Origin Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Died September 26, 1937 (aged 43)
Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
Genre(s) Blues, Jazz
Occupation(s) Singer
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 1912-1937
Label(s) Columbia

Bessie Smith (July 9, 1892 or April 15, 1894– September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer. Carl Van Vechten ( June 17, 1880 &ndash December 21, 1964) was an American Writer and Photographer who was a Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1894 ( MDCCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Clarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1894 ( MDCCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression

The most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and '30s,[1]. Smith is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era, and along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on subsequent jazz vocalists. Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States

Contents

Life

For the 1900 census, Bessie Smith's mother, Laura Smith, reported that Bessie was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in July, 1892. The United States Census is a decennial Census mandated by the United States Constitution. However, for the following census (1910), her sister, Viola Smith, reported the date as April 15, 1894; that date appears on all subsequent documents, is more plausible, and was the one observed by the entire Smith family. Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1894 ( MDCCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common There also remains a census-based debate regarding the size of Bessie Smith's family. The 1870 and 1880 censuses report three older half-siblings, but the 1900 census reports data that is at odds with the recollections of her family and contemporaries.

That she was the daughter of Laura (Owens) Smith and William Smith is not in dispute. William Smith was a laborer and part-time Baptist preacher (he was listed in the 1870 census as a minister of the gospel, in Moulton, Lawrence, Alabama) who died before Bessie could remember him. Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament By the time she was nine, she had lost her mother as well, and her older sister Viola was left in charge of caring for her sisters and brothers. [2]

As a way of earning money for their impoverished household, Smith and her brother Andrew began performing on the streets of Chattanooga as a duo, she singing and dancing, he accompanying on guitar; their preferred location was in front of the White Elephant Saloon at Thirteenth and Elm streets in the heart of the city's African-American community. Busking is the practice of performing in Public places for Tips and Gratuities.

In 1904, her oldest brother, Clarence, covertly left home by joining a small traveling troupe owned by Moses Stokes. "If Bessie had been old enough, she would have gone with him," said Clarence's widow, Maud. "That's why he left without telling her, but Clarence told me she was ready, even then. Of course, she was only a child. "[3]

In 1912, Clarence returned to Chattanooga with the Stokes troupe and arranged for its managers, Lonnie and Cora Fisher, to give her an audition. She was hired as a dancer rather than a singer, because the company also included Ma Rainey. Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett Rainey, better known as Ma Rainey ( April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was one of the earliest known

By the early 1920s, Smith had starred with Sidney Bechet in How Come?, a musical that made its way to Broadway, and spent several years working out of Atlanta, Georgia's 81 Theater, performing in black theaters along the East Coast. Sidney Bechet ( May 14, 1897 &ndash May 14, 1959) was an American Jazz saxophonist, Clarinetist and Composer Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard" refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern Following a run-in with the producer of How Come?, she was replaced by Alberta Hunter and returned to Philadelphia, where she had taken up residence. Alberta Hunter ( April 1 1895 - October 17 1984) was an American Blues Singer, Songwriter, and Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə There, she met and fell in love with Jack Gee, a security guard whom she married on June 7, 1923, just as her first recordings were being released by Columbia Records. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company The marriage was a stormy one, with infidelity on both sides. During the marriage, Smith became the biggest headliner on the black Theater Owners Booking Association ( T. Theater Owners Booking Association, or TOBA, was the Vaudeville circuit for African American performers in the 1920s and 1930s O. B. A. ) circuit, running a show that sometimes featured as many as 40 troupers and made her the highest-paid black entertainer of her day. Gee was impressed by the money, but never adjusted to show business life, especially not Smith's bisexuality. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation In 1929, when Smith learned of Jack Gee's affair with another performer, Gertrude Saunders, she ended the marriage, but never sought a legal divorce. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage. Smith eventually found a common-law husband in an old friend, Richard Morgan, who was Lionel Hampton's uncle and the antithesis of her husband. Common-law marriage (or Common law marriage) sometimes called de facto marriage, informal marriage or marriage by habit and repute Lionel Leo Hampton ( April 20, 1908 &ndash August 31, 2002) was an American Jazz Vibraphonist, Percussionist She stayed with him until her death. [4]

Career

All contemporary accounts indicate that Rainey did not teach Smith to sing, but she probably helped her develop a stage presence. [5] Smith began forming her own act around 1913, at Atlanta's "81" Theatre. By 1920 she had established a reputation in the South and along the Eastern Seaboard. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive The East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard" refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern

In 1920, sales figures for "Crazy Blues," an Okeh recording by singer Mamie Smith (no relation) pointed to a new market. Okeh Records began as an Independent record label based in the United States of America in Mamie Smith ( May 26, 1883, Cincinnati Ohio &ndash September 16, 1946, New York City) was an American The recording industry had never aimed its product at blacks, but now the door had been opened and the search for female blues singers was on. Smith was signed by Columbia in 1923 when the label decided to establish a "race records" series.

She scored a big hit with her first release, a coupling of "Gulf Coast Blues" and "Downhearted Blues," which its composer, Alberta Hunter had already turned into a hit on the Paramount label. "Downhearted Blues" is a Blues song composed by Alberta Hunter and Lovie Austin. Alberta Hunter ( April 1 1895 - October 17 1984) was an American Blues Singer, Songwriter, and Paramount Records was an American Record label, best known for its recordings of African-American Jazz and Blues in the 1920s and Smith became a headliner on the black T. O. B. A. circuit and rose to become its top attraction in the 1920s. [6] Working a heavy theater schedule during the winter months and doing tent tours the rest of the year (eventually traveling in her own railroad car), Smith became the highest-paid black entertainer of her day. [7] Columbia nicknamed her "Queen of the Blues", but a PR-minded press soon upgraded her title to "Empress".

She made some 160 recordings for Columbia, often accompanied by the finest musicians of the day, most notably Louis Armstrong, James P. Johnson, Joe Smith, Charlie Green, and Fletcher Henderson. Louis Armstrong (August 4 1901 &ndash July 6 1971 nicknamed Satchmo or Sachimo and Pops, was an American Jazz Trumpeter James Price Johnson ( February 1 1894 &ndash November 17 1955) was an African-American Pianist and Composer. Charlie Green was one of the early trombonists and the first strong Jazz soloist in the Fletcher Henderson orchestra (joining slightly before Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr ( December 18, 1897 &ndash December 28, 1952) was an American pianist bandleader Arranger

Broadway

Smith's career was cut short by a combination of the Great Depression (which all but put the recording industry out of business) and the advent of "talkies", which spelled the end for vaudeville. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s She never stopped performing, however. While the days of elaborate vaudeville shows were over, Smith continued touring and occasionally singing in clubs. In 1929, she appeared in a Broadway flop called Pansy, a musical in which, the top critics agreed, she was the only asset. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance.

Film

In 1929, Smith made her only film appearance, starring in a two-reeler titled St. Louis Blues, based on W. C. Handy's song of the same name. William Christopher Handy ( November 16 1873 &ndash March 28 1958) was a Blues Composer and Musician, often " St Louis Blues " is an American popular Song composed by William Christopher Handy in the Blues style In the film, directed by Dudley Murphy and shot in Astoria, she sings the title song accompanied by members of Fletcher Henderson's orchestra, the Hall Johnson Choir, pianist James P. Johnson, and a string section — a musical environment radically different from any found on her recordings. Dudley Murphy (July 10 1897 &ndash February 22 1968 Murphy was born on July 10 1897 in Winchester Massachusetts. Astoria is a Neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr ( December 18, 1897 &ndash December 28, 1952) was an American pianist bandleader Arranger James Price Johnson ( February 1 1894 &ndash November 17 1955) was an African-American Pianist and Composer.

Swing era

In 1933, John Hammond saw Smith perform in a small Philadelphia club and asked her to record four sides for the Okeh label (which had been acquired by Columbia). John Henry Hammond II ( December 15, 1910 – July 10, 1987) was a Record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə

These performances, for which Hammond paid her a non-royalty fee of $37. 50 each, were recorded on November 24, 1933. Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. They constitute Smith's final recordings and are of particular interest because Smith was in the process of translating her blues artistry into something more apropos to the Swing Era. The Swing Era was the period of time (1935&ndash1946 when Big band Swing music was the most popular music in America. This session gives us a hint of what was to come.

The accompanying band included such Swing Era musicians as trombonist Jack Teagarden, trumpeter Frankie Newton, tenor saxophonist Chu Berry, pianist Buck Washington, guitarist Bobby Johnson, and bassist Billy Taylor. Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden ( August 20, 1905 &ndash January 15, 1964) was an influential Jazz Trombonist and William Frank Newton (Frankie Newton ( January 4, 1906 &ndash March 11, 1954) was a trumpeter from Emory, Virginia. Leon "Chu" Berry ( September 13, 1908 – October 30, 1941) was an American swing tenor saxophonist See also Bob Johnson, Rob Johnson, Robb Johnson, Robert Johnson Bobby Johnson (born in Columbia South Carolina) is the head Billy Taylor (born July 24, 1921 in Greenville North Carolina) is an American Jazz Pianist, Composer, Benny Goodman, who happened to be recording with Ethel Waters in the adjoining studio, dropped by for an almost inaudible guest visit. Ethel Waters ( October 31, 1896 &ndash September 1, 1977) was an American Blues and Jazz Vocalist Hammond was not pleased with the result, preferring to have Smith back in her old blues groove, but "Take Me For A Buggy Ride" and "Gimme a Pigfoot" (in which Goodman is part of the ensemble) remain among her most popular recordings.

Death

On September 26, 1937, Smith was severely injured in a car accident while traveling along U.S. Route 61 between Memphis and Clarksdale, Mississippi with her lover (and Lionel Hampton's uncle), Richard Morgan, at the wheel. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. US Route 61 is the official designation for a United States highway that runs from New Orleans Louisiana, to the city of Wyoming Minnesota. Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Clarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. Lionel Leo Hampton ( April 20, 1908 &ndash August 31, 2002) was an American Jazz Vibraphonist, Percussionist She was taken to Clarksdale's black Afro-American Hospital where her right arm was amputated. Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma or Surgery. She did not regain consciousness, dying that morning. [8]

Bessie Smith's funeral was held in Philadelphia on October 4, 1937. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It was attended by about seven thousand people, according to contemporary newspaper reports. Far fewer mourners attended the burial at Mount Lawn Cemetery, in nearby Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania. Sharon Hill is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Jack Gee, her husband from whom she had been separated, thwarted all efforts to purchase a stone, once or twice even pocketing money raised for that purpose. The grave remained unmarked until August 7, 1970, when a new tombstone was placed, paid for by singer Janis Joplin and Juanita Green, who, as a child, had done housework for Smith. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Janis Lyn Joplin ( January 19, 1943  – October 4, 1970) was an American singer songwriter and music arranger from [9]

The Afro-American Hospital, now the Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale, was the site of the dedication of the fourth historic marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail. Riverside Hotel, located at 615 Sunflower Avenue is a historic hotel in Clarksdale, Mississippi in operation since 1944 The Mississippi Blues Trail, created by the Mississippi Blues Commission is a project to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the growth of the [10]

Selective awards and recognitions

Grammy Hall of Fame

Recordings of Bessie Smith were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which is a special Grammy Award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance. The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences "

Bessie Smith: Grammy Hall of Fame Award[11]
Year Recorded Title Genre Label Year Inducted
1923 "Downhearted Blues" Blues (Single) Columbia 2006
1925 "St. Louis Blues" Jazz (Single) Columbia 1993
1928 "Empty Bed Blues" Blues (Single) Columbia 1983

National Recording Registry

Smith's recording of the single "Downhearted Blues" was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2002. The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative "Downhearted Blues" is a Blues song composed by Alberta Hunter and Lovie Austin. " St Louis Blues " is an American popular Song composed by William Christopher Handy in the Blues style "Downhearted Blues" is a Blues song composed by Alberta Hunter and Lovie Austin. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->The recordings preserved [12] The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. "[13]

"Downhearted Blues" is included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts in 2001, and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock 'n' roll. The " Songs of the Century " list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA the National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA is a United States federally funded and donation assisted program that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African [14]

Inductions

Year Inducted Category Notes
1989 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
1989 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "Early influences"
1981 Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame
1980 Blues Hall of Fame

U. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding This is a list of inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to Blues music S. Postage Stamp

Year Issued Stamp USA Note
1994 29 cents Commemorative stamp U.S. Postal Stamps Image:Bessie Smith stamp.jpg[15]

Digital remastering

Given the technical faults in the majority of her original gramophone recordings -- especially variations in recording speed, which raised or lowered the apparent pitch of her voice, misrepresented the "light and shade" of her phrasing, interpretation and delivery, and altered the apparent key of her performances (sometimes raised or lowered by as much as a semitone) and, also, the fact that the "centre hole" in some of the master recordings had not been in the true middle of the master disc, meaning that there were wide variations in tone, pitch, key and phrasing as the commercially released record revolved around its spindle -- there is a very significant and very positive difference in the performance that Smith delivers in the current digitally remastered versions of her work. This article lists people who have been featured on United States Postage stamps Since the United States Post Office issued its first stamp in 1847 over 4000 stamps have been issued and A gramophone Pitch represents the perceived Fundamental frequency of a sound In Musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest Musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music and it is considered the Remaster (and its derivations frequently found in the phrases digitally remastered or digital remastering) is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age although

References in other works

"Bessie was more than just a friend of mine
We shared the good times with the bad
Now many a year has passed me by
I still recall the best thing I ever had
I'm just goin' down the road t' see Bessie
Oh, See her soon
Goin' down the road t' see Bessie Smith
When I get there I wonder what she'll do. . "

"It's easy to forget, or not to be aware
So let me take a moment, I've a legacy to share
Bessie, Bessie sing through your pain. . . "

References

  1. ^ Jasen, David A. ; Gene Jones (1998). Spreadin' Rhythm Around: Black Popular Songwriters, 1880-1930. Schirmer Books, pp. 289. ISBN 978-0028647425.  
  2. ^ Albertson. Bessie (Revised and Expanded Edition), Yale University Press (New Haven), 2003. ISBN 0-300-09902-9.
  3. ^ Albertson, 2003, page 11.
  4. ^ Albertson, 2003.
  5. ^ Albertson, 2003, pages 14-15.
  6. ^ Oliver, Paul. Bessie Smith. in Kernfeld, Barry. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition, Vol. 3. London: MacMillan, 2002. p. 604.
  7. ^ Albertson, 2003, pp 80.
  8. ^ Smith's death, and a popular, but now discredited, version of the circumstances surrounding it — namely, that she died as a result of being refused admission to a "Whites Only" hospital in Clarksdale (a myth started by jazz writer/producer John Hammond in an inaccurate article that appeared in the November 1937 issue of Down Beat magazine) — formed the basis for Edward Albee's 1959 one-act play The Death of Bessie Smith. White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. John Henry Hammond II ( December 15, 1910 – July 10, 1987) was a Record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the Down Beat is an American Magazine devoted to "jazz blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively Edward Franklin Albee III ( "AWL-bee" born March 12 1928 is a three time Pulitzer Prize winning American playwright known for works including The Death of Bessie Smith is a 1959 one-act play by American Playwright Edward Albee, written in 1959 and premiered in West Berlin the following
  9. ^ Albertson, Bessie, pp. 2-5 and 277.
  10. ^ Historical marker placed on Mississippi Blues Trail. Associated Press. Retrieved on 2007-02-09. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
  11. ^ Grammy Hall of Fame Award Database
  12. ^ 2002 Registry choices
  13. ^ Librarian of Congress Names 50 Sound Recordings to the Inaugural National Recording Registry
  14. ^ 500 Songs That Shaped Rock
  15. ^ Bessie Smith: 29 cents Commemorative stamp

Further reading

External links

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