Bessie Smith was one of the women discussed in the video. She grew up in poverty and she had a brother. She started singing the blues, and she realized she had an unusual voice. Because her parents struggled with only one source of income, she started to use her voice to help make income by singing on the street. One of her most famous songs was "Down Hearted Blues", which got her a record deal with Columbia Records. She was also trained under Ma Rainey. She earned the title of "Empress of the Blues". She became the highest-paid blues singer of her time. Another woman discussed in the video is Nella Larson. She was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother was Danish, and she was sent to live with her mother's family, she was raised in an all-white
