Who is Bessie Smith?
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer of the 1920s and 30s. She was the most famous and successful female blues vocalist of her day and influenced many later singers. In her heyday, Bessie Smith was christened “Empress of the Blues” and became the most highly paid African American entertainer of her era. Bessie Smith was born in July 1892 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the thirteenth child of Baptist minister William Smith. By the time she was nine, Bessie Smith had lost both her parents, and her older sister, Viola, took over as head of the family. Bessie began singing on the street, accompanied by her brother Andrew on guitar, as a way to raise money for her family. In 1912, her brother Clarence arranged for her audition for a troupe to which he belonged, and Bessie Smith was hired as a dancer. In the following years, she added singing to her public performances. After making a name for herself through her performances throughout the American South and the East coast, Bessie Smith wa
