Empress of The Blues
The 1920s were an exciting time to be alive, the economy was flourishing, everyone was throwing extravagant parties and the music industry was booming. There weren't many black singers of the time period but those who were, made their presence known. One of the best blues singers of the 1920s or maybe even of all time, Bessie Smith. She has set the stage for not only African-American singers but female black singers who came after her.
Although Bessie Smith may have been born into misfortune and poverty, she was determined to not let that define her. Bessie was born on April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During her childhood Bessie experienced quite a bit of loss throughout her childhood, her father died before …show more content…
When she started working with the Moses Stokes traveling minstrel show, she met a woman named Gertrude “Ma” Rainey. Yet she was not hired as singer but hired as a dancer because at the time Rainey was the head singer. Gertrude became like a mother to Bessie teaching her how to really use her voice and become the woman we all know as the “Empress of The Blues”. Bessie learned how to capture an audience, use her voice in many different ways and how to be successful in show business. Ma may have been a mentor to Bessie but she bagan to create her own style of singing and performing early on. Some sources say that Ma Rainey may have been more than just a mentor, meaning she introduced Smith into lesbian relationships but there isn't enough proof for these rumors to become fact. The year of 1923 was huge for the young singer, she married a man named Jack Gee. Bessie was discovered and signed with Columbia Records. (Baughman, 22) “On the sixteenth of February, Bessie Smith made her first recordings (“Downhearted Blues” and “Gulf Coast Blues”). Her song Downhearted Blues was so popular it sold over eight hundred thousand copies. This song not only put Smith into the spotlight but the genre of blues as well. Bessie Smith
The 1920s were an exciting time to be alive, the economy was flourishing, everyone was throwing extravagant parties and the music industry was booming. There weren't many black singers of the time period but those who were, made their presence known. One of the best blues singers of the 1920s or maybe even of all time, Bessie Smith. She has set the stage for not only African-American singers but female black singers who came after her.
Although Bessie Smith may have been born into misfortune and poverty, she was determined to not let that define her. Bessie was born on April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During her childhood Bessie experienced quite a bit of loss throughout her childhood, her father died before …show more content…
When she started working with the Moses Stokes traveling minstrel show, she met a woman named Gertrude “Ma” Rainey. Yet she was not hired as singer but hired as a dancer because at the time Rainey was the head singer. Gertrude became like a mother to Bessie teaching her how to really use her voice and become the woman we all know as the “Empress of The Blues”. Bessie learned how to capture an audience, use her voice in many different ways and how to be successful in show business. Ma may have been a mentor to Bessie but she bagan to create her own style of singing and performing early on. Some sources say that Ma Rainey may have been more than just a mentor, meaning she introduced Smith into lesbian relationships but there isn't enough proof for these rumors to become fact. The year of 1923 was huge for the young singer, she married a man named Jack Gee. Bessie was discovered and signed with Columbia Records. (Baughman, 22) “On the sixteenth of February, Bessie Smith made her first recordings (“Downhearted Blues” and “Gulf Coast Blues”). Her song Downhearted Blues was so popular it sold over eight hundred thousand copies. This song not only put Smith into the spotlight but the genre of blues as well. Bessie Smith