Bessie Smith part 1

Yesterday, we talked about the Mother of the Blues. Today's subject will be the Empress of the Blues. One of the most important artists of the 20th century, ladies and gentlemen, here's Bessie Smith.

Bessie Smith was born on April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was one of seven children. Her father, a Baptist minister, died soon after her birth, leaving her mother to raise her and her siblings. In 1904, her oldest brother, Clarence, left home, 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."

Around 1906, her mother and two of her brothers died and Smith and her remaining siblings were raised by their aunt. It was around this time that Smith began to perform as a street singer, accompanied on the guitar by one of her younger brothers. In 1912, Clarence returned to Chattanooga with the Stokes troupe and arranged an audition for his sister with the managers of the troupe, Lonnie and Cora Fisher. She was hired as a dancer rather than a singer, because the company already included the well-known singer Ma Rainey. Rainey took Smith under her wing, and over the next decade Smith continued to perform at various theaters and on the vaudeville circuit.

Smith's recording career began in 1923. She was then living in Philadelphia, where she met Jack Gee, a security guard, whom she married on June 7, 1923, just as her first record was being released by Columbia. It was Downhearted Blues, a song composed by Alberta Hunter (more on her the day after tomorrow). Hunter had already recorded the song the year before, but it was Bessie's version that really took off: it sold 780 000 copies in the first 6 months, and eventually 2 million copies were sold. The National Recording Preservation Board included Smith's recording in the inaugural National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2002. In 2001, the Recording Industry Association of America, with the National Endowment for the Arts, included it at number 315 in the list of the Top 365 "Songs of the Century". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame identified it as one of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock". In 2006, Smith's recording received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Here it is:

The B-side, Gulf Coast Blues, was also a hit:

Baby Won't You Please Come Home also came out in 1923. Pianist Clarence Williams acompanies her in this one, as well as in many other of her recordings.

Also from 1923, here's T'ain't Nobody's Biz-Ness if I Do. As you probably already have noticed,  Bessie was a strong influence on subsequent generations, including Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and Janis Joplin.

With her rich, powerful voice, Smith was now a successful recording artist and toured extensively. Going forward with an idea presented by her brother and business manager Clarence, Smith eventually bought a custom railroad car for her traveling troupe to travel and sleep in.

In 1924, she recorded Weeping Willow Blues. Fletcher Henderson was on piano.

Also from 1924, here's Rocking Chair Blues:

Bessie's first electrical recording was Cake Walking Babies [From Home], in 1925:

Also in 1925, she recorded her second most popular song. The W.C. Handy tune, written in 1914 is one of the most recorded songs ever. Bessie Smith's version is the definitive one. It was her second song to be inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame. It's also my favorite one of hers and one of my favorite songs ever. It's St. Louis Blues.

Also in 1925 came another masterpiece by W.C. Handy: Careless Love Blues.

During that same year, she made several recordings with Louis Armstrong. I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle was a big hit:

We will continue our story tomorrow, which will include Bessie's erotic adventures: they paint a fascinating picture of the sexual mores of the era. Till tomorrow...