- Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith
Blues Singer
(1894-1937)
Often referred to as the “Empress of the Blues,” Bessie Smith was born to William and Laura Smith in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 15, 1894. Her father was a laborer and a part-time preacher, but he died before Bessie could remember him. When she was, her mother also died, and she was left in the care of her older sister, Viola. In order to make a living, Bessie and her brother Andrew began performing on the streets of Chattanooga with Bessie singing and Andrew playing the guitar.
Between 1923 and 1933, Bessie Smith recorded more than 160 songs, and she became known as the greatest blues singer of her era. She recorded with jazz legends such as Coleman Hawkins, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, and in 1929 she appeared in the movie St. Louis Blues. Some of her hits include “Downhearted Blues” and “Nobody Knows When You’re Down and Out.”
