Bessie Smith

Blues singer Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After losing her parents early on, Smith and her siblings survived by performing on street corners: she sang and danced as her brother played the guitar. In 1912, she joined a traveling troupe as a dancer, where she developed a strong stage presence. Smith built her career over the following years, establishing a reputation and moving on to performing in chorus lines in theaters, where she would become the main attraction by 1920. Her first record, "Cemetery Blues" (1923) was one of the first issued by Columbia Records. She went on to become the highest-paid black entertainer of her day, earning the nickname of "Empress of the Blues". She made 160 recordings for Columbia, some of which became the best-selling records of their release years. The Great Depression cut her soaring career short, but Smith never stopped performing. She starred in "Pansy" (1929) a Broadway musical, and was said to be its only asset by the critics. In the same year, she made her film debut in "St. Louis Blues" (1929). Her last recordings were made for Okeh Records in 1933, and saw her sound evolving from blues to the swing era. Smith passed away in 1937, in a car crash.