NAME

Bessie Smith
(Some time in the 1890's – September 26, 1937)

Bessie Smith was reportedly born in 1892 outside of Chattanooga, TN. Her parents died when she was very little, and the family was forced into poverty. From the time she was young, she had a great musical ability. As barely a teenager, she joined a traveling minstrel troupe, Rainey's Rabbit Foot Minstrels. The shows namesake was that of another vastly popular classic female Blues singer, Ma Rainey, who mentored the young Bessie. Bessie was vastly popular through the 20's and 30's; known for her incredible, broad singing ability and her friendly and enthusiastic stage presence, which quickly gained her notoriety. Bessie was a prodigy of the legacy of Mamie Smith (no relation) who indirectly opened the doors for singers like Bessie. From there, her widespread popularity and talent helped to solidify the notion that there was a major talent and large audience in minority music, particularly African Americans. She played no small part in the emerging recording of many more black musicians, particularly Blues musicians, who very well might not have otherwise had a chance to record.

Bessie's death has continued to be a somewhat famous part of her life. When she was 43; on Highway 61 outside of Clarksdale, Mississippi, her and her bootlegger driver / lover missed a sharp turn and wrecked her car into a ravine. They were in her Lincoln, given to her by her record company, Okeh Records, for her success. The conflicting stories have never been cleared up; but according to the best records, she was laid out for a number of hours as emergency crews came, and in the process of treating her before taking her to the hospital, a truck ran over her arm, destroying it completely. She was taken to the hospital where they amputated her arm, but she never regained consciousness and succumbed to her injuries later that night. She died at Clarksdale's Afro-American Hospital. Interestingly, the building is still standing today and is a rather well known Blues trail stop called the Riverside Hotel. There, the room Bessie died in is off and has been made into a shrine commemorating her life. Many famous Blues musicians stayed at Riverside over the years. Tales of Bessie's crash have been spun as truth for years. Including stories that a white couple crashed into them later in the night and the ambulance took the white woman instead of Bessie, and that Bessie died because she was refused admittance to a white hospital, among many others. None of these are verifiable, and none likely true, however, heresay and rumors weaved into even magazines and books and have largely been accepted as fact. (see notable books for more information)
Several notable movies and plays were made about Bessie's tragic death. She was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame.

Notable songs by Bessie Smith
Saint Louis Blues
Downhearted Blues

Notable Books on Bessie Smith
Bessie by Chris Albertson
The Big Book of Blues by Rob. Santelli
Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey by Bill Wyman