Bessie Smith
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: Twentieth Century
- Categories: Music, Popular Culture
- Subcategories: African Americans, Blacks, Entertainment, Entertainers, Musicians, Singers, Homosexuality, Homosexuals, Gay Men, Lesbians, Sexuality
- Curriculum: American History 1901-1950, Women’s History, African American History
Article abstract: The first internationally popular female blues singer, Bessie Smith paved the way for later female blues and gospel singers such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Mahalia Jackson.
Early Life
Bessie Smith was born into abject poverty in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her parents, William and Laura Smith, had a total of seven children in what Bessie later described as “a little ramshackle cabin.” William was a part-time Baptist minister who ran a small mission but had to support his family by doing manual labor. He died shortly after...
[The entire page is 2141 words long]
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