smith, bessie

Profiles the life and career of Blues singer Bessie Smith, covering her childhood, the challenges she faced due to racism, her personal life, and more.

Analyzes the performances, words, and lives of African-American blues artists Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday, and attempts to explore the feminist implications of their recorded music. Includes original transcriptions of the lyrics of all available recordings by Rainey and Smith.

Chronicles the life of Bessie Smith, discussing how she transformed from a vaudeville entertainer to the highest-paid African-American performer of the roaring twenties.

Tells the life story of 1920s blues singer Bessie Smith, describing her childhood, her achievements, and her legacy.

African-American blues singer Bessie Smith single-handedly scares off Ku Klux Klan members who are trying to disrupt her show one hot July night in Concord, North Carolina.