Bessie Smith
Empress of the Blues
Introducing..... Bessie Smith!
“Gee, but it’s so hard to love someone when that someone don’t love you. I’m so disgusted, heartbroken, too. I got those downhearted blues,” That’s from Bessie Smith’s Down Hearted Blues, a song that sold more than 780,000 copies. If I had lived in her time, and if I could have, I would have bought that record, too. I’ve heard this great woman sing, and she is amazing. Without talented and sassy people like Bessie Smith, the world might not be the same.
Early Life
Adult Life
When Smith was 18, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey “discovered” her and invited Smith to join her traveling group. But soon, Smith’s music became so popular she could perform on her own. In 1923 she released her first record, Down Hearted Blues. As a well-known and well-liked artist, Smith recorded more than 150 albums, some of which sold 100,000 copies in a week. Smith lived all over, but Philadelphia was the place she chose to live in most of the time. At 29, on June 7, 1923, Smith met and fell in love with Jack Gee. They were soon married but their relationship was rocky, so in 1929, Smith ended their relationship. However, they didn’t use a divorce, which meant that when Smith “married” Richard Morgan, it was not proper. She did adopt a 6 year old boy whom she named Jack Gee Jr. within the two relationships. Smith’s life was like a highway with lots of bumps, but she chose to make it that way.
Her Greatest Accomplishments
Bessie Smith had many accomplishments, too many to count. I believe her greatest accomplishment was being one of the most famous african american blues singer of her time. She got into Ma Rainey’s traveling group, and Rainey was incredibly popular around that time. Did you know that at one point, Smith saved Columbia Records just by selling a hit record? Also, Smith became the highest-paid black entertainer of her day. She was even accompanied by some amazing blues and jazz artists, which is very cool. Ever heard of Louis Armstrong and Charlie Green? Smith was great because she was talented, sassy, brave. She once got fired from a job for saying, “Hold on! Let me spit!”. Sounds like courage and attitude to me! She had a strong personality along with a strong voice - and that’s a good thing. Like most celebrities, Bessie was idolized by some. Bessie Smith changed the world by being such a well known african american singer.
People Will Remember Her
Bibliography
Altman, Susan. Extraordinary Black Americans. N.p.: n.p., 1989. Print.
"Bessie Smith Videos." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. <http://www.biography.com/people/bessie-smith-9486520/videos>.
"Bessie Smith." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Jan. 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.
Welden, Amelie, and Jerry McCann. Girls Who Rocked the World: Heroines from Sacagawea to Sheryl Swoopes. Hillsboro, Or.: Beyond Words Pub., 1998. Print.
Bessie Smith
Bessie, maybe in her 30's
Sassy Diva
Smith just being herself
Push it to the Limit
Here is Smith singing