Born: April 15, 1894, in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Died: September 26, 1937, near Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Known For: Blues Singer

Singer Bessie Smith, also known as “Empress of the Blues,” helped pioneer the genre of blues music, influenced the direction of American music, and contributed to the success of African Americans in the performing arts. Born into poverty with her parents dying when she was young, Bessie supported her siblings by starting a career as a Chattanooga street musician with her brother Andrew. In 1912, Bessies joined the traveling Moses Stokes Company as a singer and dancer, where she met and became friends with blues performer Ma Rainey. She then worked as a performer with the Theater Owners Booking Association (TOBA), a vaudeville circuit for black American performers during the 1920s and 1930s.

In 1923, Bessie made her recording debut with Columbia Records teaming with pianist Clarence Williams, and she made more than 160 recordings spanning her career. Unfortunately, with the decline of blues music, Columbia Records dropped her from its label in 1931 due to reduced record sales during the Depression. She was attempting to rebrand herself as a swing performer with the help of jazz producer John Hammond when she died in a fatal car crash near Clarksdale, Mississippi, on September 26, 1937.

“Soft Pedal Blues”

Bessie Smith’s music became the sound of a generation with themes of adultery, romance, and disenfranchisement filling the houses all across the United States. In “Soft Pedal Blues,” recorded in 1925, the lyrics tell a story about a woman running a buffet flat, a place where sexual deviance happens. Bessie, known for her fair share of infidelity with the chorus girls from her shows, sang unashamedly of her sexual desires, spoke to the audience about being more accepting, and implored working-class women to be up-front about their sexual desires.

The Empress of the Blues was a self-made star in her own right. Her celebrity, power, and value were on display at every performance. She rose out of Jim Crow South and made her mark known with her vivacious singing, dancing, and women empowerment. She broke the mold that society made before she was even born. From her shows in tents to the stage of Harlem clubs, Bessie commanded respect for her artistry. In one of her acts, she dresses up as the “mammy” stereotype sweeping the children in her chorus off the stage, and then in a matter of seconds, she is standing in front of the audience in a gown and jewels all over. This act reminds her audience that she could put on and take off roles as she chooses.

Though she lived a short life, Bessie Smith’s impact on music lives on forever. Even as pop music moved in a different sound than the blues, Smith’s diva persona, themes, fierce attitude and vocals remain present on recordings released by many famous singers. Janis Joplin was inspired by Bessie Smith and channeled Smith’s confidence and raw passion in her own music. To pay homage to Smith, Joplin contributed money to purchase a headstone for Smith’s grave, which had been unmarked since her burial in 1937. The gravestone inscribed with the words, “The Greatest Blues Singer in the World Will Never Stop Singing—Bessie Smith‐1895‐1937” is a genuine sentiment as many other artists use Smith’s music as their muse. Aretha Franklin covered Otis Redding’s song “Respect” and made the lyrics about double standards placed on women and demand that men show women respect in relationships. Here is the thing about empresses, especially the Empress of Blues; they leave their mark everywhere and make history.