BESSIE SMITH

EARLY LIFE

• Born on April 15th, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee
• Started singing and dancing to raise money for her family

START OF CAREER

• Smith moved to Philadelphia 1923 to start her recording career
• She married Jack Gee on June 7th, 1923
• Her marriage was very soon after her first record released
• During this marriage, she was the highest paid black entertainer

TROUBLES

• Smith divorced her husband after finding that he was cheating
• He was dating another singer
• She later found another husband in an old friend, Richard Morgan

RECORDING

• Her first session with Columbia Records was on February 15th, 1923
• Her first record was "Cemetery Blues"
• Earned the nickname "Empress of the Blues" during this time
• Made 160 records with Columbia, many with great singers of her time

THEATRICAL CONTRIBUTION

• Smith would often perform two shows in one day
• One would be musical; the other theatrical
• She appeared in a Broadway show and a film, St. Louis Blues

TRAGEDY

• On September 26th, 1937, Smith was severely injured in a car accident
• Her husband was driving the car; he ran into the back of a truck
• She was taken to a hospital in Clarksdale, Mississippi after the accident
• There her arm was amputated and she died without ever regaining consciousness

Untitled Slide