The Role Of Bessie Smith's Dominance In Blues Music

The evolution of black music is important because if it wasn't for it, we wouldn't have the music we have today. Most of us don't realize everything started way back then not now. We listen to music when we wanna get stuff done fast , to make us not think about things just get our mind off things just so many reasons why music was important back then and now .

Known as the “Empress Of Blues”, Bessie Smith was said to have revolutionized the vocal end of Blues Music. She showed a lot of pride as an independent African-American woman. Her style in performance and lyrics often reflected her lifestyle. Bessie Smith was one of the first female jazz artists, and she paved the way for many musicians who followed.

The Blues Genre has been out since the late 19th century. However, the blues genre started to establish awareness around the 1920’s. Bessie Smith was one major influencer of the blues genre. The blues common themes were related to poverty, death, cruelty, misfortune, and unfaithfulness. In Bessie Smith’s case, her song Lost your Head Blues, is about a woman who was in love with a man who was initially broke. In the lyrics, it later discusses how the man gains wealth and started to think differently about his woman. As the song progresses further, the lyrics mention that the lady will leave him without telling him “goodbye”. The lady finally leaves the man and mentions that she will write a letter explaining the reason why she left him. To conclude, the song discusses how days and nights become long and lonely for her. However, the lady will admit that she is a good woman and refuses to be treated poorly. This song was popular at the time and has given Bessie Smith a lot of fame.

Jazz is a style of music composed of various instruments. Originating in New Orleans, Louisiana it is believed that jazz rose up from the traditional African American style of dance music. As Jazz progressed it became very adaptive including styles from Spanish, blues, folk, and orchestral. “Anthropologist call this process ‘Syncretism’— the blending together of cultural elements that previously existed separately.” (www.nytimes.com) This new style of music would soon start to catch the ears of those in the northern region of the United States. Jazz would make its way up to Chicago, New York, and Charleston branching out throughout the US.

     The music called Jazz was born sometime around 1895 in New Orleans. It combined elements of Ragtime, marching band music and Blues. What made Jazz such a different perspective of traditional music was its act of improvising. There was a widespread use of improvisation often by more than one player at a time. Songwriters would write the music down on a piece of paper, and then the Jazz musicians would try their best to play the music. Usually in a Jazz piece, musicians would use the song as a starting point to improvise around. Jazz musicians would play a familiar song to the audience, and by the time they were done with the piece they would stir up a totally different feeling away from the

Duke Ellington was a musical and political genius; he was “America’s only original musical mind.” He was not only a performer, but a composer. He learned the craft of composing by observing others instead of disciplined study. One important factor of Ellington’s music was its relation to black heritage and African American history. His symphony “Black, Brown, and Beige” displayed the African American struggle in America. Not only did Ellington use his music to portray the struggle, voice, and triumph of black Americans, he used his professionalism, originality, persuasiveness, and political performances.

Her first release “Downhearted Blues” was a huge success, and is known as her most popular song. With all of her success, Bessie was given the nickname “Empress of the Blues” and was Columbia’s saving grace from bankruptcy two times(Bio.com.) By the end of the 1920’s, Bessie’s career was at an all time high. She was the highest paid Black female singer of her time, and one of the few black artists to perform for white audiences. She was the first black woman to be broadcast live on local radio stations in Memphis and Atlanta(American History.com). She also collaborated with notable artists such as Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Fletcher Henderson, James P. Johnson, Joe Smith, and Charlie

By most accounts, Bessie Smith was a rough, crude, violent woman. She was also one of the greatest Blues singers of the 1920s. The road that took her to the title “Empress of the Blues” was not an easy one. It was certainly not one of the romantic "rags to riches" tales that Horatio Alger made popular during her time. For a young black woman from the South the journey was anything but easy, and it would require a special kind of person, and Bessie Smith was definitely that. She was a woman who fought for what she believed in and backed down to no one. She had a boundless determination, which sometimes became a flaming hot temper, and no one was exempt from it. Yet these same experiences and temperament also expressed great loyalty to those

Jazz is among one of the most interesting genres. It has encompassed all cultures since it arose in the late 18th century. Cool jazz, hot jazz, gypsy jazz, and many other sub-genres of Jazz have emerged throughout the years; however, it is seen through history that many of those sub-genres emerged during the Harlem Renaissance. This was a time period in the late 1920s and early 1930s in Harlem, a neighborhood within the northern section of New York that celebrated black intellect, black voice, and black ways of life. Jazz music was widely popular among that movement. Traditionally, Jazz is an improvisation and syncopation that showcases brass instruments, piano, and woodwind instruments. This genre will also generally have a forceful rhythm.

There once lived a woman named Bessie Wright who lived in Thompson Georgia. She lived with a family of 4 . Mom, dad, and 1 sister who was 5 at the time. Bessie Wright was born on May 5, 1816 in Thompson GA. She lived slightly poor. Her mom was a stay at home mom she wasn’t allowed to work . Her dad worked as a stableman. His job was to clean up after the horses and make sure the saddles were ready for the riders. Bessie did not work because she was too young, so she just stayed at home and played with the animals that were around the house.

Jazz is an American music genre, founded by African-American musicians. It emerged in the early 1900s as its creators merged aspects from West African musical traditions with aspects from religious music and from many other types of popular music based on European traditions. While some elements of jazz were borrowed from other musical genres, the music that came forth was one of a kind, an art form of its own. A significant element of jazz is improvisation, the adjustment of a melody or countermelody as a song is being performed. Therefore, a song may be different every time it is played.

Music, it helps the world go ‘round. Whatever kind of music you like, how often you listen to it, it's all up to you. Most likely, you will enjoy many different genres. Often times, it helps you express yourself beyond speech. And like the French poet Victor Hugo said, “ music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that cannot remain silent.”

In the Jim Crow south, there were laws that made it acceptable to lynch many African Americans, men, women and children. Ida B. Wells, a famous African American activists, teacher, newspaper publisher, and heavily involved in the anti-lynching movement (Gabbidon, Greene, & Young, 2002, p. 21). Wells traveled not only within the United States but to other countries to spread the word about what heinous things that were happening to African Americans. In 1892, three of her closest friends were lynched in Memphis, TN (Gabbidon, Greene, & Young, 2002, p. 21). The lynching of her friend infuriated her and she channeled her grief and anger into her news articles. Wells wrote a series of articles in the Free Speech newspaper that she owned.

     Jazz is a style of music that began and has been revolutionized within the United States. Jazz music first appeared in the city of New Orleans and eventually moved onto Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, and New York City. Jazz unites different elements of African, African- American, religious, brass brand, and blues style of music. The music of Jazz, and its changes through the years, is now a form of music that is known and respected throughout this nation and the world.

It is said that Bessie Smith is the “Empress of the Blues.” She was a superior entertainer, with talent in singing and dancing. Bessie had such a beautiful, soulful voice and she collaborated with many great jazz performers. Bessie didn’t just stand for music, she stood for women. By the end of the 1920’s, she was the highest paid black woman of her day, earning the title “Empress of the Blues.”