Bessie Smith
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Bessie Smith, the "Empress of the Blues," was one of the greatest blues
and jazz singers of all time -- and one of the 20th century's greatest
singers in any genre. Her strong contralto voice and passionate delivery
have remained benchmarks for generations of artists to follow.
Smith was born in 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her family was poor,
and as a child she sang on street corners and danced in a touring
minstrel show. Her big break came when she met Ma Rainey, an older blues
singer who saw raw talent in the young Bessie and assumed the role of her
mentor. The student soon eclipsed the teacher. Smith toured the South,
had her own show in Atlantic City by 1920, and landed a recording deal
with Columbia in 1923. Her records made her famous, and her star
continued to rise throughout the '20s, when she performed with such jazz
greats as Louis Armstrong and Joe Smith.
But almost as quickly as it took off, Smith's career began to falter.
Problems with alcohol and men started to interfere with her work, and the
blues, with their unblushing, hard-boiled lyrics, began to fall out of
favor with the public.
When record sales dwindled, Smith was dropped by Columbia. She continued
to perform live, and appeared in a short film, St. Louis Blues, in
1929. In 1935 she had something of a comeback success at Harlem's Apollo
Theater. Tragically, just as things were starting to look up again for
Smith, her life ended prematurely in a car crash, in 1937.
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