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 51-75 of 191 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | 81881 | 10-in. | 7/22/1924 | Lou'siana low-down blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with alto saxophone and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81882 | 10-in. | 7/22/1924 | Mountain top blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with alto saxophone and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81883 | 10-in. | 7/23/1924 | Work house blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with trombone and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81884 | 10-in. | 7/23/1924 | House rent blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with trombone and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81893 | 10-in. | 7/31/1924 | Salt water blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with trombone and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 81907 | 10-in. | 8/8/1924 | Rainy weather blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with trombone and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140062 | 10-in. | 9/26/1924 | Weeping willow blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, trombone, and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140063 | 10-in. | 9/26/1924 | The bye bye blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, trombone, and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140161 | 10-in. | 12/4/1924 | Follow the deal on down | Fred Longshaw ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140162 | 10-in. | 12/4/1924 | Sinful blues | Fred Longshaw ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140165 | 10-in. | 12/5/1924 | Dying gambler's blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with 2 clarinets and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140166 | 10-in. | 12/5/1924 | Woman's trouble blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with 2 clarinets and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140167 | 10-in. | 12/5/1924 | Love me daddy blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with 2 clarinets and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140170 | 10-in. | 12/12/1924 | Sing Sing Prison blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with 2 clarinets and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140176 | 10-in. | 12/13/1924 | Dying gambler's blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with trombone and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140241 | 10-in. | 1/14/1925 | St. Louis blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and organ | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140242 | 10-in. | 1/14/1925 | Reckless blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and organ | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140249 | 10-in. | 1/14/1925 | Sobbin' hearted blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140250 | 10-in. | 1/14/1925 | Cold in hand blues | Louis Armstrong ; Fred Longshaw ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | 140251 | 10-in. | 1/14/1925 | You've been a good ole wagon | Louis Armstrong ; Fred Longshaw ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and piano | songwriter, vocalist | |
Columbia | W140585 | 10-in. | 5/5/1925 | Cake walking babies | Fletcher Henderson’s Hot Six ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with jazz/dance ensemble | vocalist | |
Columbia | W140586 | 10-in. | 5/6/1925 | The Yellow Dog blues | Fletcher Henderson’s Hot Six ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with jazz/dance ensemble | vocalist | |
Columbia | W140600 | 10-in. | 5/14/1925 | Ragtime dance | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | vocalist | |
Columbia | W140601 | 10-in. | 5/14/1925 | Soft pedal blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with trombone and piano | composer, vocalist | |
Columbia | W140604 | 10-in. | 5/15/1925 | Careless love blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with clarinet, trombone, 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
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