Bessie by Chris Albertson Rowdy‚ powerful‚ and innovative songstress‚ Bessie Smith dominated the 1920s blues circuit in America. Her soulful drown out voice reinvented the lyrics of many and captivated her audiences. She toured throughout the south and northeast regions building fan base of all races‚ and breaking strides in the newly developing black record business. Like most artist‚ people only knew the musical genius of Bessie Smith. The background‚ personality‚ and struggle of the woman
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Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman was born on January 26‚ 1892 to Susan and George Coleman who had a large family in Texas. At the time of Bessie’s birth‚ her parents had already been married for seventeen years and already had nine children‚ Bessie was the tenth‚ and she would later have twelve brothers and sisters. Even when she was small‚ Bessie had to deal with issues about race. Her father was of African American and Cherokee Indian decent‚ and her mother was black which made it difficult from the
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MUS 205 Mid term Essay Bessie Johnson Kown 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. Bessie was born April 15‚ 1894 in Chattanooga‚ Tennessee to a part time Baptist preacher‚ William Smith‚
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Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga‚ Tennessee in April 15‚ 1894. She was the most popular female blues singer known as “The Empress of the Blues”. She started her career by singing in tent shows in 1912‚ alongside another blues specialist Ma Rainey. Bessie influenced other singers including Aretha Franklin‚ Nina Simone‚ Frank Sinatra‚ Billie Holiday‚ Dinah Washington and Janis Joplin. Bessie Smith was married to Jack Gee on June 7‚ 1923. She made her first record with Columbia records “Downhearted
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Bessie Coleman Bessie Coleman was the first African American female pilot. Starting off in a racist Texas Bessie worked as a laundress after she dropped out of college. At the age of twenty three she decide to move in in with her brother in Chicago to find a better life. After hearing stories of World War I pilots she had a sudden interest in flying. Due to discrimination Bessie could not go to an aviation school in America‚ so she moved to France to pursue her dreams. After this she came back
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Bessie Smith was a rough‚ crude‚ violent woman. She was also the greatest of the classic Blues singers of the 1920s. Bessie started out as a street musician in Chattanooga. In 1912 Bessie joined a traveling show as a dancer and singer. The show featured Pa and Ma Rainey‚ and Smith developed a friendship with Ma. Ma Rainey was Bessie’s mentor and she stayed with her show until 1915. Bessie then joined the T.O.B.A. vaudeville circuit and gradually built up her own following in the south and along the
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Rubina Akther February 11‚ 2013 7th Hour Algebra I Research Paper: Elizabeth Bessie Coleman Elizabeth Bessie Coleman was born on January 26‚ 1892 in Atlanta‚ Texas‚ the tenth of thirteen children to sharecroppers George‚ who was part Cherokee‚ and Susan Coleman. When Coleman was two years old at that time her family moved to Waxahachie‚ Texas‚ where she lived until age 23. Coleman began attending school in Waxahachie at age six and had to walk
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Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga‚ Tennessee on April 15‚ 1894. Bessie was one of seven children. Her parents were William and Laura Smith. William was a Baptist minister and died soon after Bessie was born. Furthermore‚ in 1906 her mom died along with two of her brothers. After this happened‚ she was raised by her aunt. Bessie’s childhood transformed her into the person she became. Bessie’s family was poor‚ so Bessie and her brother‚ Andrew‚ performed on the streets of Chattanooga. They performed
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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
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success‚ selling more than 10 million copies turning Bessie Smith into the most successful blues singer of the era. She performed and sang her way out of poverty at a young age. In today’s world her career may seem short at just a decade‚ but the influence she had on music and the blues will last forever. Her music was about mistreatment from lovers‚ straight talk about drinking‚ mischief‚ sex and dealt with the black experience in America. Bessie Smith was an exceptional unforgettable blues singer
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