Eli Artman is a Toronto-based writer and content creator. I guess I took after my mom in that regard. "[30], Smith's funeral was held in Philadelphia a little over a week later, on October 4, 1937. This was not trueRainey was Smiths friend and mentorbut it made for great publicity. Due to her parents' death and her poverty, Bessie experienced a "wretched childhood". [2][3][4] The 1910 census gives her age as 16,[5] and a birth date of April 15, 1894, which appears on subsequent documents and was observed as her birthday by the Smith family. Legendary blues singer Bessie Smith is buried near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 4, 1937. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Beyonc's Renaissance Tour Merch is on Amazon, Opal Lee: The Grandmother of Juneteenth, Lupita Nyong'o Just Wore Brad Pitt's Skincare Line, Halle Bailey's The Little Mermaid Glossier Makeup, Inside Marie Antoinette and Chevaliers Friendship. This is the most reliable eyewitness testimony about the events surrounding her death. 5. -'Bessie' by Chris Albertson, Yes. Doctors even amputated her right arm in the battle to save herbut it was all for naught. The first person on the scene was a Memphis surgeon, Dr. Hugh Smith (no relation). This is the unforgettable story of Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues. Although musician Artie Traum recalls bumping into Rick Danko, the co-writer of the song in Woodstock in 1969 who sang a verse of "Going Down The Road to See Bessie" on the spot.[53]. As one of the first Blues stars, Smith changed the course of American culture foreverbut in the end, her fame came at a heartbreakingly high price. It also didn't help that her husband, Jack Gee, had a gambling problem, which resulted in her paying off his debts. It took several years before he was reunited again with Bessie, which brought her restored happiness. pain, she sings the blues. We want our readers to trust us. singer Bessie Smith, who rose to fame in -'Bessie' by Chris Albertson, On September 26, 1937, Bessie Smith died at age 43 in a car accident in Mississippi. Bessie did not have an available education because her parents had died and her elder sister was taking care of her. Sure, Bessies custom train let her engage in a life of delicious sin across the 50 states, but it also had a secret purpose that was much different than revelry. In one of the first Bessie Smith's son, Benny, was born in 1922 and died in 1990. She stayed with him until her death. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. And oh, the things that railroad car saw. The 1870 and 1880 censuses report several older siblings or half-siblings. [8][29], "The Bessie Smith ambulance would not have gone to a white hospital; you can forget that", Hugh Smith told Albertson. In the aftermath, Morgan realized he was completely uninjured, but the same couldnt be said for the Empress of the Blues. Clarence never forgot about his little sister and her talents, and in 1912, when Bessie had blossomed into a vivacious young woman, he brought his troupe managers to see her for an audition. But Jack had other plans in mind. In real life, Jack dropped the boy off at the SPCC (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), and according to Jack, Jr., made up lies that Bessie had let him stay out all night and that he wouldn't go to school. Bessie Smith, in full Elizabeth Smith, (born April 15, 1894?, Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.died September 26, 1937, Clarksdale, Mississippi), American singer, one of the greatest blues vocalists. Smiths subject matter was the classic material of the blues: poverty and oppression, lovebetrayed or unrequitedand stoic acceptance of defeat at the hands of a cruel and indifferent world. Forebears: Bessie Smith, The Empress Of The Blues : NPR Smith had a type: Young, impressionable, and totally under her sway. Her gradually increasing alcoholism caused managements to become wary of engaging her, but there is no evidence that her actual singing ability ever declined. Bessie Smith is said to have died, after an automobile crash, at a local hospital in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Lucille (Tika Sumpter) is likely a composite of several people, including Bessie Smith's niece by marriage, Ruby Walker, who was a close companion and a performer in her aunt's shows. Dr. Smith dressed her arm injury with a clean handkerchief and asked Broughton to go to a house about 500 feet off the road to call an ambulance. Each June, the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga sponsors the Bessie Smith Strut as part of the city's Riverbend Festival. by Admin 17 Oct 2022 What happened to Bessie Smiths husband? It describes Jack as being "virtually illiterate," stating that this was probably a good thing since Jack could not read about Bessie's exploits in black gossip publications like the Interstate Tattler. Yes, the Bessie movie true story confirms that this happened on a July night in 1927 in Concord, North Carolina, though there is no evidence that she chased them with a hatchet. When Jack, Jr. was ten, Jack Gee came and took him from Bessie's home when she wasn't there (in the movie Bessie is home and desperately tries to stop Jack). Eventually, things were so bad, domestic conflicts made their way into her songs, something that was unheard of at the time. Given those historic limitations, the digitally remastered versions of her work deliver noticeable improvements in the sound quality of Smith's performances, though some critics believe that the American Columbia Records compact disc releases are somewhat inferior to subsequent transfers made by the late John R. T. Davies for Frog Records. [8] Their marriage was stormy with infidelity on both sides, including numerous female sex partners for Bessie. It was a generous gesture, but her family members were spending her money faster than she could make it. Later on, a ruling put Jack, Jr. back with his biological father, a neglectful man who often forgot to even feed his son. But as her and Gee's relationship became strained, Gee would use their son as a bargaining chip, eventually kidnapping him and accusing Smith of being a neglectful, incompetent mother. The tailgate of the truck sheared off the wooden roof of Smith's old Packard vehicle. Four decades later, however, Bessie's biographer Chris Albertson, debunked the racism claim. Grove Music Online. Mixing biography, fiction, music and memoir, in Bessie Smith, Scotland's Makar, Jackie Kay, remembers the electric thrill of identification when, as a young black girl . You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. Over the course of her career, she played with jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and Fletcher Henderson, just to name a few. Corrections? I remember one time about 1935 we were walking on North Broad Street, and we passed a Cadillac dealership, and mom saw a convertible in the window that she wanted to buy. Considered by many to be the greatest blues singer of all time, Bessie Smith was also a successful vaudeville entertainer who became the highest paid African-American performer of the roaring twenties. Made on November 24, 1933, they serve as a hint of the transformation she made in her performances as she shifted her blues artistry into something that fit the swing era. All Rights Reserved. In February 1923 she made her first recordings, including the classic Down Hearted Blues, which became an enormous success, selling more than two million copies. After 1920 she made her home in Philadelphia, and it was there that she was first heard by Clarence Williams, a representative of Columbia Records. Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, Fiery Facts About Valaida Snow, The Unsung Jazz Heroine, These Jerks Had No Idea Who They Were Messing With, Cary Grant Hid A Lifetime Of Heartache Behind His Debonair Smile, These Bad Dates Are Straight Out Of Our Nightmares, These Mega Embarrassing Moments Still Made Us Burst Out Laughing, Eleanor Of Aquitaine Was Englands Fiercest QueenUntil Her Brutal End. Instead, they relegated Smith to the role of a dancer. In 1904, her oldest brother Clarence left home and joined a small traveling troupe owned by Moses Stokes. See, Smith never quite forgot the lessons she might have learned from Ma Rainey, and she kept up a string of relationships with women throughout her marriage to Gee. For most of 1923, her records were issued on Columbia's regular A-series. [51][52], The song "Bessie Smith" by The Band first appeared on The Basement Tapes in 1975, but probably dates from 1970 to 1971. Jack Gee removed his niece from Bessie's life, either by manipulation or force, and Ruby ended up joining Jack's mistress Gertrude Saunders' show. Joplin honestly believed she was the reincarnation of Smith, and she went to great lengths to prove her devotion. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing. Bessie Smith had an undeniable talent and a once-in-a-lifetime voicebut she didnt get to use it. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Current one is: October 4. The best part? Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1894. Do you smell a rivalry? She was only 42 years old when she was killed, and her body was buried in Pennsylvania. Smith's version of the song, released in September 1929, was eerily prescient in that the stock market crashed just two weeks later. One of her biggest hits was "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," whose lyrics eerily paralleled her own life. Bessie Smith | Biography, Songs, Music, Death, & Facts During her marriage to Gee, Smith informally adopted a six-year-old boy and named him Jack Jr. Dont you feel so important.. which happened to be a black hospital, but that . In the mid-1970s I interviewed Albertson, who talked to many people who had been at the 1937 accident scene and concluded that Bessie was in fact rushed to the closest hospital to the accident, which happened to be a black hospital, but that Bessie had lost too much blood to be saved with 1930s medical care. His claim was that Columbia Records had taken advantage of Bessie, who was nearly illiterate in the early 1920s (she had little or no schooling), by providing her with a lawyer who was actually a Columbia Records employee. Jack Gee was still her official husband, and he refused to buy a stone to mark her burial. Yes, this might sound like the beginnings of a rustic fairy tale, but dont let those details fool you. Bessie Smith poses for a portrait circa 1925. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Smith was young when her parents died, and she and her six siblings survived by performing on street corners. Bessie Chris Albertson's celebrated biography recounts that conversation and plenty of other stories from people who knew or did business with Smith. The U.S. Rainey wore massive wigs, gigantic jewels, and flashy outfits on stage; she even had capped gold teeth. The grave remained unmarked until August 7, 1970, when a new tombstone was placed there, paid for by rock singer Janis Joplin and Juanita Green, who as a child had done housework for Smith. Some 7,000 mourners attended her funeral. Bessie Smith is born in Chattanooga, Tennessee - HISTORY What Are 3 Important Facts About Bessie Coleman. She must have nailed it, because the Stokes troupe signed her on immediately and rocketed her all the way to stardom. When Smith and Gee split up in 1929, they made a strange decision. They must've been women, 'cause I don't like no mens.. they say I do it, ain't nobody caught me. The Death of Bessie Smith is a one-act play by American playwright Edward Albee, written in 1959 and premiered in West Berlin the following year. Oliver, Paul. An estimated 10,000 grieving mourners showed up for her funeral; so many that they had to move the service to a larger venue than they originally planned. May 16, 201512:24 PM Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith. The oncoming car ended up in a ditch, barely missing Bessie and Dr. Smith's friend. On 15 June 1519 Bessie Blount gave birth to a son - the illegitimate son of the king. In 1912, Clarence returned to Chattanooga with the Stokes troupe and arranged an audition for his sister with the troupe managers, Lonnie and Cora Fisher. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription. Having a successful marriage in the spotlight is a hefty feat, but fame seemed to turn Bessie and Jack ugly overnight. Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 - September 26, 1937) was an African American blues singer. She never stopped performing, however. Unfortunately, this story doesnt have a happy ending. Despite their mutual hatred and all of Gees machinations, they never actually divorced or made the split official. Bessie Smith was much more than just a blues singer. In 1923, Smith was living in Philadelphia when she met Jack Gee,[8] a security guard, whom she married on June 7, 1923, just as her first record was being released. Yes, as in the HBO movie, Bessie's marriage to Jack ended after she learned that he had used her money to fund a show for his mistress, Gertrude Saunders (pictured below). Smith attacked Saunders not once but twice, sending her into a nervous breakdown. This photo of Bessie was taken in 1926, when she was at the height of her stardom. circuit and would become one of its major attractions. The Afro-American Hospital (now the Riverside Hotel) was the site of the dedication of the fourth historical marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail.[35]. This Bessie Smith documentary produced by The Death of Bessie Smith - Wikipedia Trust me when I say that Bessie Smith went toe-to-toe with the greats. The song would later become the basis of a short film by the same name. The future was looking bright for Smithuntil one tragic incident changed everything. Gee held such a grudge against his ex-wife that he turned her beloved adopted son Jack into the authorities. [13] Working a heavy theater schedule during the winter and performing in tent shows the rest of the year, Smith became the highest-paid black entertainer of her day and began traveling in her own 72-foot-long railroad car. Jack Gee, who was the hus band of Bessie Smith, the late blues singer, died Monday at his home in Philadelphia. She instead rented them adjoining houses in her neighborhood. The ambulances arrived and Bessie was taken to G. T. Thomas Afro-American Hospital in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Chris Albertson, author of Bessie - Jerry Jazz Musician My father was not very nice to me, Jack Gee, Jr., told me. Initially, her body was laid out at Upshur's funeral home. There is no record of Smiths exact birth date, but she was about 43 years old. Blues singer Bessie Smith, killed in Mississippi car wreck - HISTORY 2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Nevertheless, when Bessie died, so many vultures carved up her estate that there was not even enough money left to pay for a headstone. When it came to his wifes Sapphic tastes, Jack got one rude awakening. Technical faults in the majority of her original gramophone recordings (especially variations in recording speed, which raised or lowered the apparent pitch of her voice) misrepresented the "light and shade" of her phrasing, interpretation and delivery. The circumstances surrounding the singers death are mysterious. She has been a primary influence for countless female vocalists including Billie Holliday, Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin and has been immortalized in numerous works. For all that Smith loved to engage with her sensual side, she had a different and much more destructive vice: drinking. Chris Albertson's biography confirms what is implied in the HBO Bessie movie. The next moments of her life were crucialbut they also nearly caused another fatality. Bessie Smith: The Legendary Empress Of The Blues | uDiscover When Smith started to make a name for herself on the club circuit, she did it in style. Smith must have liked what she saw, though, because she married Gee just a handful of months after meeting him, tying the knot in a ceremony on June 7, 1923. Legendary blues singer Bessie Smith is buried near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 4, 1937. Though In 1912, she joined a traveling vaudeville troupe, the Rabbit Foot Minstrels and spent the next decade singing in minstrel shows and cabarets all around the South. Thomas Afro-American Hospital in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where she spent the entire evening fighting for her life with her trademarked determination. He estimated she had lost about a half pint of blood, and immediately noted a major traumatic injury: her right arm was almost completely severed at the elbow. In February 1923 Smith made her first recordings, including the classic Down Hearted Blues, which became an enormous success, selling more than two million copies. She died in the morning, having never regained consciousness. Whatever the truth, Smiths formative years went out with a bang. Hated by Gertrude, he ran away again, was caught, and ended up in various state run homes, unable to get word to Bessie of his whereabouts. She simply charged out of the tent and yelled, You just pick up them sheets and run! Thats exactly what they did. Bessie Smith (ca. The uppity Black Swan Records were utterly flabbergasted at her success. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. What happened to Bessie Smiths husband? - Camomienoteca.com Biological son of unknown unknown and ?? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In 1929, she made the filmSt. Louis Blues, a dramatization of the song of the same name. Her lyrical sincerity and public behavior were not widely accepted as appropriate expressions for African-American women; therefore, her work was often written off as distasteful or unseemly, rather than as an accurate representation of the African-American experience. ", Yes. Around the 1930s, she reconnected with her longtime friend Richard Morgan, eventually living with him and entering into a common-law marriage. Her most notable songs included Taint Nobodys Biz-ness If I Do, Careless Love Blues, Empty Bed Blues, Nobody Knows You When Youre Down and Out, and Gimme a Pigfoot.. In 2002, Smith's recording of "Downhearted Blues" was included in the National Recording Registry by the National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress. [14][8] Columbia's publicity department nicknamed her "Queen of the Blues", but the national press soon upgraded her title to "Empress of the Blues". Big Truck Book Sale raises more than $2,500 for Chestnut Hill Library, The Hot Club of Philadelphia will bring the legacy of Django Reinhardt to Chestnut Hill, Leading figure in the regions classical music scene departs, Regional celebrations of American independence, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. Since her death, Smiths music continues to win over new fans, and collections of her songs have continued to sell extremely well over the years. Hammond was known for his selective memory and gratuitous embellishments. Toward the end of the decade, though, Smith had begun to record and perform again. Like in the movie, it was then that Bessie brought her clenched fists down on the man's head. Bessie visited Snooks whenever she was in Macon, showering him with gifts and affection. Bessie got up from her table and confronted the man. In 1904, when the 12-year-old Bessie was just settling into life as a working woman, her brother dealt her a heartbreaking betrayal. Doctors urged her to stay for a couple days to recover, but like in the movie, she refused to miss that day's show, making such a fuss that the hospital let her go roughly ten hours after the stabbing took place. Bessie Smith - NNDB If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, then you already have an account here. Youd think that once the couple split up and they both moved on, there would be no hard feelings between them, right? She Had the Audition of Her Life Clarence never forgot about his little sister and her talents, and in 1912, when Bessie had blossomed into a vivacious young woman, he brought his troupe managers to see her for an audition. Released on Exodus Records in 1965, Hoyt Axton Sings Bessie Smith is another collection of Smith's songs performed by folk singer Hoyt Axton. -'Bessie' by Chris Albertson, No. Dont worry, though: Bessie eventually got what she deserved. The movie alludes to the tragedy but does not show it. . Louis Blues. Not even close. She began touring and performed in a group that included Ma Rainey, and then went out on her own. Bessie Smith's Husband Dies - The New York Times Jack cheated on his wife constantly, and Bessie went and had illicit trysts right back, until they were trading partners like they were on a merry-go-round. He had to do something fast. To ease her In 1912 Smith began performing as a dancer in the Moses Stokes minstrel show, and soon thereafter in the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, of which blues vocalist .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Ma Rainey was a member. A film loosely based on the book aired in 2015, with Queen Latifah (who also executive produced the project) portraying Smith and Mo'Nique playing Ma Rainey. Bessie. ", Photo: Edward Elcha/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Beyonc's Renaissance Tour Merch is on Amazon, Name: Bessie Smith, Birth Year: 1894, Birth date: April 15, 1894, Birth State: Tennessee, Birth City: Chattanooga, Birth Country: United States, Best Known For: Jazz and blues vocalist Bessie Smith's powerful, soulful voice won her countless fans and earned her the title "Empress of the Blues. When Bessie died in a Mississippi car accident in 1937 at the age of 43, she had already established her legacy as "Empress of the Blues," a pioneering American performer who demanded respect and equal pay in a world dominated by men and controlled by whites. circuit and rose to become its top attraction in the 1920s. In the Queen Latifah movie, we see her adopted son, Jack Gee, Jr., who was never a biological child. appearance, the 1929 short film St. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bessie-Smith, National Museum of African American History and Culture - Biography of Bessie Smith, Women and the American Story - Life Story: Bessie Smith (1894 or 18951937), BlackPast.org - Biography of Bessie Smith, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Biography of Bessie Smith, National Public Radio - Forebears: Bessie Smith, The Empress Of The Blues, Bessie Smith - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1989). Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. They altered the apparent key of her performances (sometimes raised or lowered by as much as a semitone). Bessie Smith - Discography of American Historical Recordings Smith, who was in the passenger seat, probably with her right arm or elbow out the window, took the full brunt of the impact. As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. He was 84 years old. With Johnson, she recorded one of her most famous songs, "Backwater Blues. Like in the movie, Bessie was bisexual and had affairs with both women and men, which she normally tried to conceal from her husband, Jack Gee, who had affairs of his own. Most historians now agree that the stories are apocryphal: Smith did make it to the hospital, but her injuries were so severe that it made no difference. Bessie Smith had been in show business since she was a teenager. Except, well, that wasnt all she learned, According to rumors, Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith were more than just friends. Today, it is the only footage of Smith in existence, and gives us a window into her electric performances. Geni requires JavaScript! She wanted me to be a lawyer, but there were very few Negro lawyers back then, and I was not very good in school. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Class of 2023 reflects on community, COVID and the future, considering how unprecedented times have changed them. [25] Hammond was not entirely pleased with the results, preferring to have Smith revisit her old blues sound. Smith's music stressed independence, fearlessness, and sexual freedom, implicitly arguing that working-class women did not have to alter their behavior to be worthy of respect.[15]. The 1900 census indicates that her family reported that Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July 1892. When Columbia records gave her the iconic moniker, they initially considered naming her The Queen of the Blues instead. around with a younger woman. The Death of Bessie Smith | What Happened? - YouTube Bessie Smith was born sometime around July, 1892 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to William Urie, a Baptist preacher, and his wife Laura. Bessie made very little money as a recording star, even though she sold more records than any other female singer in the 1920s. Skid marks at the scene suggested that Morgan tried to avoid the truck by driving around its left side, but he hit the rear of the truck side-on at high speed. One night, he paid a surprise visit to Bessie while she was touring with her chorus girls, only to find her in bed with one of them. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Bessie was already a talented singer prior to meeting Ma Rainey. The courts agreed with the good-for-nothing Gee, and they tore the boy from Smiths side, initially placing him with her older sister Viola. Ever since she was a teenager, Smith had started downing glasses at an alarming rate, and by the time she became a star, her habit had become a serious problem.
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