One can hardly find a blues performer who could surpass Bessie Smith in depth and melody of her voice, penetration and lack of pathos, for which she was called the Empress of blues. She lived a rich, but alas, short life, filled with great victories and bereavements.
Bessie was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 15, 1894 in a large family. Father died when she was in her infancy, mother - when Bessie was 8 years old. All the children remained in the care of Violet's older sister and lived in terrible poverty.
Bessie always loved to sing, and she earned her first money when she was 9 years old, singing melodic couplets on the streets. On Sundays, she sang with pleasure in the choir. Knowing hunger and poverty, the girl sought to earn as much as possible, so that she would never have to carry things with her older sisters and not sit without bread.
When she turned 18, her older brother Clarence placed her in the ensemble of Rabbit Foot Minstrels, where she first danced and then sang on the back-vocals of jazz singer Ma Rainey, nicknamed "Blues Mom." After going through Ma's vocal school, Bessie began a solo career. Her passionate deep voice with pectoral notes excited the audience. Starting with popular melodies and vaudeville, she gradually switched to playing the blues, which mixed Latin motifs, African rhythms and South American penetration and passion.
First there were small theaters and taverns, then - a tour of the pop scenes of the United States of America. By the age of 26, she was on the wave of popularity: after the First World War, the fashion for all jazz swept all walks of life, including white Americans.
In 1923, Bessie married her bodyguard Jack G, and in the same year, Frank Walker, manager of Columbia Records, the oldest American recording studio, noticed her. Bessie Smith's first record Down Hearted Blues was released under this label, all of which circulated very quickly. Tours in New York and Chicago passed with no less excitement. Absolute silence reigned in the crowded halls during the performance of songs, which exploded with applause at the end of the compositions. The audience was captivated by the simplicity and depth of the voice, its songs, which are absolutely devoid of pathos and pretense.
By the mid-1920s, Bessie became one of the most famous and highly paid singers with dark skin, for which she received the title "Empress of the Blues." In this, she even circumvented Ma Rainey, but there was no rivalry between them - the singers were friends until the end of her life. Bessie worked with famous musicians, including Louis Armstrong and Clarence Williams, Benny Goodman and Jack Tigarden, Coleman Hawkins and Fletcher Henderson. For all the time, the performer recorded about 160 songs, which were reprinted on vinyl more than once.
The great depression and changing public tastes led to a decline in interest in blues and Bessie was in the shadows. Jazz big bands appeared on the stage, the era of swing began, the audience wanted to have fun, rather than be sad. Nevertheless, she was still appreciated and loved. In 1929, she starred in the film "St. Louis Blues" and was preparing for a new film. In 1935-1937, Bessie organized the "Return" tour, which was surprisingly successful. However, fate decreed otherwise - during a tour of the southern states in Bessie Smith died in a car accident. September 26, 1937 she was only 43 years old.
A poor girl from Tennessee who became one of the highest paid singers of her time, went down in the history of blues. It still has an impact on music and arouses genuine interest of people around the world. On November 2, 2004, a CD was released entitled "Empress of the Blues: 1923-1933", which collected the best songs recorded by Bessie over 10 years: from February 16, 1923 to November 24, 1933. And in 2015, the biographical drama "Bessie" was released, where the magnificent Queen Latifa played the role of the brilliant blues vocalist.
