Bessie Smith Thesis

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 also became a hit in the 1920s after Mamie Smith recorded “Crazy Blues” and it grew into a huge part of the Jazz Industry. African Americans were given credit for the creation of the Blues industry of music as well. Bessie Smith was known as the “most famous of the 1920s Blues singers.”

Around 1903 when my parent's died to survive, my brother, Andrew, and I began to perform a musical act on the streets of Chattanooga. I sang and my brother accompanied me on the guitar, often in front of the White Elephant Saloon. In 1912, when Clarence my older brother returned to Chattanooga, he persuaded the managers of his troupe, Lonnie and Cora Fisher, to give me an audition. Consequently, I was hired as a dancer with the Moses Stokes Company, to perform in a show that included the Mother of the Blues, Ma Rainey. Intriguing rumors surround our meeting—legend has it that Ma Rainey literally kidnapped me, that she and her husband forced me to tour with their show, teaching me in the process how to sing the blues. Some rumors say we had

February of every year is known as National Black History Month. There are many African American people who made a great impact on all African-Americans today. In honor of this month, though, I have chosen to write about Marian Anderson. Marian Anderson was a singer who had made a great impact on many of the black singers in the past. She was one of the first female African-American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1955. Some of Marian’s last words to the public were “I have a great belief in the future of my people and my country.”

In the 1920’s, blues was a very popular and dominating genre in the music industry. Generally, the blues was sung by African American women because according to the book entitled, “Blues Legacies and Black Feminism” by Angela Davis, “…The most widely heard individual purveyors of the blues—were women.” (Davis 4) The blues delivers certain emotions such as sadness, loneliness, love, sex, and feelings about the certain circumstances the artist may be going through at the time. Two women who dominate this style of music are Gertrude “Ma” Rainey and Bessie Smith. As stated by “Gay & Lesbian Biography”, “The careers of Rainey and Smith are closely interwoven.” Ma Rainey is a woman who is admired for both her amazing vocals and her ability to entertain. Bessie Smith is a woman who started off as a background dancer for her peer Ma Rainey, but then went on to emulate her by outdoing her success. Both women are very talented musicians who can not only sing and entertain, but they also create an impact as two of the most influential feminists during the 1920’s who helped shape the blues into what it is today.

After the American Civil War black freed-man settled in the Mississippi Delta. In the Delta each African could have their own fields. Clearing fields, preventing crops from floods, and cultivating their crops were duty of the black people. Mississippi Delta region has a significant influence in the emergence of many blues musicians. When Africans settled in the Delta, they started to record blues music. Unfortunately, recording was quite expensive for them. Therefore, less people could record in the Delta region. Jasper Love, a Clarksdale blues singer, was worked with mules to clear and farm the land. Farm bell was quite important for him because daily labor began and ended with the

Out of all the topics for our assigned Research Paper, I decided to write about the forgotten history of African Americans, the systemic oppression we faced and how that in turn affected the way society views black women blues music. There could be many reasons why so many students are never taught the untold history African american culture and how black woman helped shape the blues. All throughout my experience in the education system I can remember very select few times where I was taught about African Americans that did something positive for our community besides Martin Luther King Jr, Harriet Tubman, and the same famous historical scholars that we always repeatedly learn about throughout the school system. I was always taught to have

She became a well known dancer and a high paid chorus member. In 1925 she got the chance to tour Europe and especially fell in love with France. In France she encountered a much more accepting atmosphere than the racist atmosphere in St. Louis. Her performances became much more exotic and extravagant. She later chose to live in France and leave the racism of the United States behind.

Singer. Born April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia. (Though many biographical sources give her birth date as 1918, her birth certificate and school records show her to have been born a year earlier.) Often referred to as the "first lady of song," Fitzgerald enjoyed a career that stretched over six decades. With her lucid intonation and a range of three octaves, she became the preeminent jazz singer of her generation, recording over 2,000 songs, selling over 40 million albums, and winning 13 Grammy Awards, including one in 1967 for Lifetime Achievement.

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey is a pivotal figure in the history of American music. She was the first person to ever perform blues and the first internationally known African American female blues singer. Her music acted as inspiration for many distinguished figures during the Harlem Renaissance, and continues to influence contemporary music and art.

Common in blues music the chronological order of a young person growing up and needing love. These final chorus is different from todays music because instead of Armstrong going with Bessie’s lyrics he responds to her with his cornet. In today’s music the instrument follows in the background of the vocals and follows along which is not the case in this blues

     The Blues musical move was prominent during the 1920s and '30s, a time known as the Harlem Renaissance. Blues music characteristically told the story of

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.”

Being a touring singing and performer can become a very rough and tiring job. Being on the road traveling for many months, playing different shows every night would make you really realize if singing is what you love to do. Ella was a singer for more than 60 years. Ella Fitzgerald goes down in history as one of the greatest female singers proven by the many awards and respect she received.

Eddie James “Son” House, Jr., an American blues singer and guitarist once stated, "People keep asking me where the blues started and all I can say is that when I was a boy we always was singing in the fields. Not real singing, you know, just hollerin', but we made up our songs about things that was happening to us at the time, and I think that's where the blues started (Cohn, 1993).”