Bessie Smith Bio

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Bessie Smith was born on April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her parents were William and Laura Smith. Her father, William, a Baptist preacher, died when Bessie was an infant. Her mother and two brothers of her six siblings had died by the time she was nine. Bessie’s oldest sister, Viola, then took over the household, raising five children. Viola moved the family from a poor African-American area to an apartment. She made money through laundry, while Bessie and her brother Andrew earned money by singing on streets. Her voice often caught people off guard due to her strong, powerful, booming, voice. In 1912, another one of Bessie’s brother, Clarence, who was traveling with the Moses Stokes’ Traveling Show, asked the show’s managers to allow his sister to audition. She started as a singer, but as time progressed, joined the chorus, and then became a featured singer. At this show, Bessie met Ma Rainey, one of the most recognized blues singer during that time and one of the biggest influences in Bessie’s life. For the next few years, Bessie worked at various tent shows. While on tour, Bessie met Earl Love, who would soon be her husband. However, there is little information about since he died soon after their marriage. In 1922, Smith moved to Philadelphia and met Jack Gee. They fall in love and get married. Jack helped her get an audition for a recording session with Columbia. She recorded “Downhearted Blues”, which was a hit, selling more than 700,000 copies. By the end of the year, Bessie had recorded five blues hits. While she was on tour, Bessie had many affairs with not only men but women also. When Jack had heard of this, he began beating her. Bessie found out that Jack was also cheating on her, so she tried to kill him with a gun but missed. She divorced him soon after. In 1929, the stock market crashed causing Bessie to lose money. The new hits

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