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Bessie Smith: 1894 - 1937
Bessie Smith rightfully earned her title of nobility, "The Empress of the Blues." One of the first major recording artists of the genre, Bessie captured the spirit of classic blues singing with her powerful voice and superb delivery. Her independent nature and forthright personality seemed to be channelled right into her songs, revealing a quality of speaking from the heart. She helped turn the blues into an art form and has inspired generations of singers in a variety of musical styles. The greatest female blues singer of all time? Most people would agree.
Bessie Smith's origins may have been a catalyst in shaping her hard edge blues singing. Born into poverty in 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she hit the streets singing for spare change at a young age. The Smith family lived in a one room shack and life was so impoverished that by age nine Bessie’s father, mother, and two of her brothers had passed away. Bessie’s passion for singing the blues led to talent shows and touring. In 1912, a minstrel troupe was passing through town and Bessie passed an audition to join the troupe on the road. Here she came under the tutelage of Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, referred to as the Mother of the Blues for developing a women’s blues style in traditionally male genre.
Though Rainey was able to teach Bessie a thing or two about the blues, their relationship was reportedly competitive at best and eventually Bessie outshone the older singer with her greater range and versatility. She poured herself into the vaudeville circuit for the next ten years, maturing from chorus line parts and then a duo to a crowd-pleasing solo act. Eventually, like most singers of the day, Bessie headed north and settled in Philadelphia. She began developing her stage show in the New York/New Jersey market and cultivated a loyal following.
Bessie’s recording career took off at a time when record companies were grasping the potential for black artists. Labels like Okeh Records were pouncing on anyone who could sing the blues in order to tap into the black community of record buyers. After several failed attempts at recording contracts Bessie landed a gig with Columbia. Her first record, “Down Hearted Blues”, was also a smash hit, selling an unprecedented 780,000 copies.
Bessie’s vocal sound was raw and steeped in emotion and perfectly suited to the blues. She effortlessly bent notes to convey depth and feeling. She created a self-assured and defiant style of delivery with a hint of vulnerability. Such a sound was a conduit for the bleak times of unchecked racial and female prejudice and the tumult of her private life. She tackled themes of violence, heart ache, and death with such powerful range. One could sense the autobiographical undertones as she bared her soul in such songs as “Empty Bed Blues, and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out.”
Columbia Records made Bessie Smith an exclusive artist for the next decade, recording over 160 sides and solidifying her status as a leading live performer. By 1924 she was earning a whopping $2000 per week, the highest paid black entertainer in the country. She toured nation-wide in revues for major black theatres and personified the blues diva on the big screen in St. Louis Blues. Bessie attracted top notch musicians like Benny Goodman, Ornette Coleman, Eddy Lang, and Sidney Beckett to accompany her. But her best work may have been with Louis Armstrong on such standards as “St. Louis Blues”, “I Ain’t Gonna Play No Second Fiddle”, “Reckless Blues”, and “You’ve Been A Good Old Wagon.”
Despite her obvious success, Bessie’s off stage life was turbulent. Several failed marriages, bisexual affairs, physical abuse, and bouts with alcoholism all contributed to a volatile private life and, inevitably, her art. As with so many blues artists of the period, she was a victim of the Depression era’s flagging record sales and by 1931 her career was on the skids. Producer John Hammond found Bessie playing seedy Harlem theatres in 1933 and recorded what proved to be her last triumph, including the party anthem “Gimme a Pigfoot.” With the advent of swing music, in the mid-30s Bessie’s vocal style was no longer in vogue. In the midst of a planned comeback, Bessie was killed in a driving accident traveling from Memphis to Clarksdale, Mississippi. She was 43 years old.
Bessie Smith set the bar for all female blues singers to follow and is remembered as the first important blues and jazz singer. Her vocal gifts allowed her to transcend her blues singing rivals and create an original sound and intensity that many singers have yearned to imitate. Bessie lived her blues as well as sang them and her highly personal style influenced countless vocalists including Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, and Etta James. Written by Tim Kirker for Tuneresource Music Inc.
Rating:  [5 of 5 Stars!] |
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