Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, she is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on fellow blues singers, as well as jazz vocalists. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Smith was young when her parents died, and she and her six siblings survived by performing on street corners. She began touring and performed in a group that included Ma Rainey, and then went out on her own. Her successful recording career with Columbia Records began in 1923, but her performing career was cut short by a car crash that killed her at the age of 43. |
Birth and Death Data: Born April 15, 1894 (Chattanooga), Died September 26, 1937 (Clarksdale)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1923 - 1933
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, composer, lyricist, leader, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 191 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | 81244 | 10-in. | 9/27/1923 | Whoa, Tillie, take your time | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with clarinet and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81245 | 10-in. | 9/27/1923 | My sweetie went away | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with clarinet and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81261 | 10-in. | 10/4/1923 | Far away blues | Fletcher Henderson ; Bessie Smith ; Clara Smith | Female vocal duet ("blues singers"), with piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81262 | 10-in. | 10/4/1923 | I'm going back to my used-to-be | Fletcher Henderson ; Bessie Smith ; Clara Smith | Female vocal duet ("blues singers"), with piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81283 | 10-in. | 10/16/1923 | Any woman's blues | Fletcher Henderson ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81391 | 10-in. | 12/4/1923 | Chicago bound blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with clarinet and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81392 | 10-in. | 12/4/1923 | Mistreatin' daddy | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with clarinet and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81464 | 10-in. | 1/8/1924 | Frosty mornin' blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81465 | 10-in. | 1/9/1924 | Blue Bessie | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | composer, vocalist | |
Columbia | 81466 | 10-in. | 1/9/1924 | Haunted house blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with clarinet and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81469 | 10-in. | 1/9/1924 | Eavesdropper's blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with clarinet and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81470 | 10-in. | 1/10/1924 | Easy come easy go blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81471 | 10-in. | 1/10/1924 | Rampart Street blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, leader | |
Columbia | 81472 | 10-in. | 1/10/1924 | Lawdy, lawdy blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | vocalist, leader | |
Columbia | 81664 | 10-in. | 4/4/1924 | Sorrowful blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with violin and piano | songwriter, vocalist | |
Columbia | 81665 | 10-in. | 4/4/1924 | Sorrowful blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with violin and guitar | composer, vocalist | |
Columbia | 81668 | 10-in. | 4/4/1924 | Pinchbacks—take 'em away | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | songwriter, vocalist | |
Columbia | 81669 | 10-in. | 4/4/1924 | Rocking chair blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with violin and piano | songwriter, vocalist | |
Columbia | 81670 | 10-in. | 4/5/1924 | Ticket agent, ease your window down | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with violin and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81671 | 10-in. | 4/7/1924 | Boweavil blues | Irving Johns ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81672 | 10-in. | 4/8/1924 | Hateful blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with violin and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81675 | 10-in. | 4/8/1924 | Frankie blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with violin and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81676 | 10-in. | 4/9/1924 | Moonshine blues | Irving Johns ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81720 | 10-in. | 4/23/1924 | Banjo blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with banjo | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81721 | 10-in. | 4/23/1924 | Four-flushing papa | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with banjo and piano | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Smith, Bessie," accessed September 18, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104231.
Smith, Bessie. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 18, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104231.
"Smith, Bessie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 18 September 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Bessie Smith
Discogs: Bessie Smith
Allmusic: Bessie Smith
Apple Music: Bessie Smith
Grove: Bessie Smith
RILM: Bessie Smith
IMDb: Bessie Smith
Britannica: Bessie Smith
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Smith, Bessie, 1894-1937 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83071529
Wikidata: Bessie Smith - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q93349
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/24788472
MusicBrainz: Bessie Smith - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/ffa28768-ecda-42c6-ac49-6ce5c7d33043
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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