Bessie Smith
Sign in to saveAmerican blues singer (1892–1937)
AI overview
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer who lived from 1892 to 1937 and became one of the most influential performers of her era. Her powerful voice and emotional performances helped define blues music and made her a major cultural figure during the Jazz Age.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1894-04-15
- Died
- 1937-09-26
- Works
- 5
Top works
- Yolla--the first century
- Empress of the Blues
- The sunny side of the Neutrals
- Bessie Smith Songbook
- I Can Write Streetland (I Can Write) (I Can Write)
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Film & TV
Acting · Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on fellow blues singers, as well as jazz vocalists.
Known for
- The Story Of The Blues — Self (archive footage)2004
- It's Black Entertainment — Self (archive footage)2002
- A Huey P. Newton Story — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)2001
- Blues Masters — Self (archive footage)1999
- Blues Masters - The Essential History of the Blues — Self (archive footage)1993
Article
Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, she is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on fellow blues singers, as well as jazz vocalists.
Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Smith was young when her parents died, and she and her six siblings survived by performing on street corners. She began touring and performed in a group that included Ma Rainey, and then went out on her own. Her successful recording career with Columbia Records began in 1923, but her performing career was cut short by a car crash that killed her at the age of 45.
Gallery (7)
Connections
Categories
1892 births1937 deaths20th-century African-American women singers20th-century American LGBTQ people20th-century American singers20th-century American women singersAfrican-American LGBTQ peopleAmerican bisexual singersAmerican blues singersAmerican street performersAmerican vaudeville performersBisexual women singers