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Bessie Smith ( 1893 - 1937 )  Category ( Singers ) [suggest a correction]
 

Bessie SmithBessie Smith is regarded by many as one of the greatest blues singers of the 1920s and 30s, and as a major influence on jazz vocalists that followed her. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1894, she was a daughter of Laura Owens Smith and laborer and part-time Baptist preacher, William Smith. Her father died before Bessie could remember him. By the time she was nine, she had also lost her mother, and her older sister was left in charge of caring for the younger children. The family lived in poverty, so Smith and her brother Andrew began performing on the streets of Chattanooga. Their favorite location for the performances was in front of the White Elephant Saloon in the heart of the city's African-American community. In 1912, Smith's older brother Clarence arranged for her to audition with a traveling troupe of performers. She was hired as a dancer. By the early 1920s Smith had starred in a musical that made its way to Broadway. She spent several years working in Atlanta, GA, and also performed in theaters along the East Coast. She finally settled in Philadelphia, where she met and fell in love with Jack Gee, a security guard. The couple married in 1923, at about the same time Smith's first recordings were being released. It was a rocky relationship, but Smith's career soared, becoming the biggest headliner on the black Theater Owners Booking Association circuit. The couple became estranged but never finalized a divorce. Later she had a long-term relationship with her old friend, Richard Morgan.

Back when Smith first began touring, she encountered the famous singer and entertainer, Ma Rainey. Critics have suggested that Rainey did not actually teach Smith to sing, but she likely helped her develop a stage presence. Eventually Smith made more than 160 recordings for Columbia records, often accompanied by the finest musicians of the day, including Louis Armstrong, Charlie Green, and Fletcher Henderson. In 1929 Smith made her only film appearance in St. Louis Blues. Her career was cut short by a combination of the Great Depression (which severely impacted the recording industry), and the advent of "talkies," which signaled the end for vaudeville. She continued to perform, though, touring and singing in clubs.

In September 1937 Smith was severely injured in a car accident while traveling between Memphis and Clarksdale, Mississippi. She was taken to a hospital where her right arm was amputated. She did not regain consciousness and died that morning. Bessie Smith's funeral was held in Philadelphia and attended by seven thousand people, according to contemporary newspaper reports. Her estranged husband, Jack Gee, thwarted all efforts to purchase a stone, once or twice even pocketing money raised for that purpose. The grave remained unmarked until 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.


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