BESSIE SMITH
Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer. Nicknamed The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on other jazz vocalists. (More from Wikipedia)
There is no question though that the relative lack of women in music led many to outsized prominence in their fields. For instance, the blues has been almost entirely an African American male form of music from the beginning until now, yet many believe that the greatest blues singer of them all is the “Empress of the Blues”, Bessie Smith, one of the greatest singers of the 1920’s and 1930’s.
(October 2013)
