Bessie Smith Records “Downhearted Blues”
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Arts and Culture Series
- Categories: Women’s Issues, Music
- Subcategories: African Americans, Blacks, Entertainment, Entertainers, Musicians, Singers
- Curriculum: American History 1901-1950, Women’s History, African American History
- Geographical Location: New York City
- Date: February 15, 1923
Article abstract: Bessie Smith’s modest recording session in 1923 helped her to become the most celebrated blues singer in history.
Summary of Event
Long before her first recording session in 1923, Bessie Smith had sung for audiences in cities throughout the Southeast and Midwest. She began to sing publicly in 1903, when, at age nine, she stood on street corners in her hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and shouted out Baptist hymns she learned from her father, a part-time preacher. In 1912, she joined a traveling vaudeville show in which she first...
[The entire page is 2060 words long]
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