Bessie Smith Essays

  • Bessie Smith Biography

    892 Words  | 4 Pages

    American singer Bessie Smith was born on April 15, 1894, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was born to the parents William And Laura Smith. William was a laborer and a part-time Baptist priest. Bessie was one of the seven children in her family. The Smith family was well below the poverty line for many years. (BLUE) When Bessie was just an infant, her father, William passed away. By the time she was eight or nine years old, her mother Laura and two of her brothers had also passed. Bessie and her remaining

  • What Are Bessie Smith's Major Accomplishments

    463 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bessie Smith was a jazz and blues vocalist, deep and powerful voice who her innumerable fans and earned her the title "Empress of the Blues." She was conceived in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 15, 1894, and unfortunately passed on September 26, 1937, in a car accident. Bessie had numerous achievements as a dynamic blues artist through 1912-1937. Through battles and diligent work, Bessie was remaining in Philadelphia and she caught the eyes of 'Columbia Records', who found Bessie's stunning ability

  • Bessie Smith Thesis

    433 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bessie Smith, also known as the empress of the blues, was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920's. She was born on April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga Tennessee. Bessie smith was the daughter of Laura and William Smith, a Baptist minister, and was one of seven children. Her mother, father, and two brothers died before she was nine. To earn money, Bessie and her brother became street performers, with her dancing and singing and him playing the guitar. In 1912, Bessie performed with Ma Rainey

  • Jazz Age Analysis

    1621 Words  | 7 Pages

    findings. Having studied the dominance of jazz in the later 1930s, the glaring reality of what has gone before comes to immediate debate. In the 1930s, the progression of jazz as a style was critiqued by the prominence of female artists such as Bessie Smith. Thus, I ask the burning question; would artists such as these have been so prominent if it were not for the Jazz Age which had come before?. In the case of female performers, I conclude that if it were not for changing attitudes regarding women

  • Women In Blues Music

    408 Words  | 2 Pages

    Blues music was an outlet for women like Alberta Hunter, Ethel Waters, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith and others to sing about their problems and feelings. The music gave them the chance to let their peers know that they weren’t alone, other women were going through the same ordeals. These songs sent the message that women could and should stand up for themselves and live their lives the way they saw fit. Women of the blues era opened the door for future female singers to express themselves through

  • Ma Rainey's Sissy Blues

    993 Words  | 4 Pages

    The genre of blues exploded into the blues craze during the 1920’s. During this time, white record producers saw the untapped goldmine that was blues music performed by people of color. Ma Rainey was one of them, and to some, one of the first, giving her the title, ‘The Mother of Blues’. The 1920’s was not only an era of continuing homophobia from the past (although that would change, briefly, into a mild form of acceptance until the more conservative 1930’s), but also of harsh racism. And yet,

  • Stereotypes To Identify Flappers

    934 Words  | 4 Pages

    Flappers beat the old stereotype that smoking, drinking, and one night stands were just for boys. Before a Flappers woman had to be societies imagine of a perfect woman, they had to be nice and don’t drink, smoke or sleep around. Girls smoking and drinking wasn’t publicly acceptable and finding out a woman slept with more than one guy, she would be labeled as a whore. A guy would never be labeled in a negative way; they would be encouraged to continue to act that way, they would be the “Man” and

  • Research Paper On Bessie Smith

    931 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bessie Smith was the first female African-American blues singer. Nicknamed The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is known as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on other jazz vocalists. According to the 1900 census, Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July 1892. However, the 1910 census showed her as age 16. April 15, 1894 has appeared on other documents and was then

  • Bessie Smith Research Paper

    670 Words  | 3 Pages

    and I ain’t done runnin’ around” -Bessie Smith. Bessie Smith was a black jazz and blues vocalist, one of the greatest of her time. She was born on April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to parents William and Laura Smith. Her father was a baptist minister who died shortly after her birth, Bessie was one of seven children. Her mother and two of her brothers died in 1906, leaving the rest of the children to be raised by their aunt. Not long after the tragedy, bessie became a street singer while one

  • Bessie Smith Research Paper

    394 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bessie Smith, an African American blues singer was killed in a car accident. Her songs have touched the lives of many black people across the country, and her songs will be forever missed. Elizabeth (Bessie) Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 15, 1894. Bessie was one of the seven children that William and Laura Smith had. Her father died shortly after she was born and in 1906, her mother and two of her brothers died, so her aunt ended up raising her and her remaining siblings. At

  • Langston Hughes Poetry Assignment

    1382 Words  | 6 Pages

    Poetry Assignment Langston Hughes Langston Hughes lived long and interesting life. He has written a great number of novels and plays, short stories and critical essays, was good in translations, and collected folklore anthology. Yet, the true identity of his talent was revealed in the verses. That is why Langston Hughes became one of the largest national poets of the twentieth century. Langston Hughes has touched major social and racial problems in his works. The issues of racial transition, discrimination

  • The Ideal: Opportunity, Bessie Smith

    538 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ideal: Opportunity, Bessie Smith.

  • Bessie Smith Biography Essay

    498 Words  | 2 Pages

    musicians who shaped music into what it is today. Bessie Smith was one of those iconic artists who affected music in her generation and numerous generations after her. She paved the path for artists like Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, and Aretha Franklin. Without her influenced who can tell what music would be like today? So who is Bessie Smith? Bessie Smith should be the newest addition to the forever stamp collection. Bessie Smith is a blues and jazz musician from the Harlem Renaissance

  • Bessie Smith Informative Speech

    466 Words  | 2 Pages

    that is one of Bessie Smith famous quotes. Bessie Smith is an American blues singer and is also known for “Empress of the Blues”. Bessie Smith was born April 15, 1894 and died on September 26, 1937. First I’m going to talk about her whole life. Then I’m going to talk about her career and what songs she did. Last, I’m going to talk about the last things about her life. According to the 1900 census Bessie was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Laura and William Smith. His dad was

  • Why Is Bessie Smith An Influential Figure

    520 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bessie Smith also known as “Empress of the Blues” was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 15, 1894. Bessie’s father passed away shortly after her birth and her mother passed away when she was only twelve years old as well as two of her older brothers. Bessie grew up with her now four siblings and her aunt. Bessie started performing when she was about fourteen years old. She started as a street singer, then performing in the Moses Stokes minstrel show. Bessie was introduced to Ma Rainey who was

  • Similarities Between Bessie Smith And Muddy Waters

    552 Words  | 3 Pages

    They are Bessie Smith and Muddy Waters. Although Bessie Smith and Muddy Waters belong to a different generation, both had successful careers as Blues singers. There are similarities and differences between Bessie Smith and Muddy Waters in regard to early life, musical training and successful career, There are a couple similarities in their life stories. For example, their early lives are similar. According to Bio.com “Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee 1894. Bessie Smith start to

  • Bessie Smith And Billie Holiday: The Rise In Jazz Music

    487 Words  | 2 Pages

    came with the rise of radio broadcasting and recording technology. Female Musicians such as Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday started making music at this age, paving the way for future female musicians. Bessie Smith started her career in 1923. She worked with other Jazz musicians during her career, some being Sidney Bechet who was a saxophonist, and Fletcher Henderson & James P. Johnson who were pianists. Smith worked with Johnson to record one of her most famous songs, “Backwater Blues”.

  • How Did Bessie Smith Influence The Blues Singers Of The 1930's

    833 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bessie Smith was one of the most popular and successful female blues singers of the 1920’s and 1930’s. She was an important influence on other singers such as Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simons and Janis Joplin. Bessie’s heart wrenching blues expressed the harsh realities experienced by the black underclass in this era. Bessie Smith was born in Tennessee in April 1894, born one of seven children and into poverty. Her father who was a Baptist died soon after her birth. Around 1906 Bessie’s

  • The Founders Movie Analysis

    1793 Words  | 8 Pages

    The movie is set in 1954 and begins with Ray Kroc, who is a salesman or a hustler, making a pitch to an owner of a drive-in about a milkshake machine. He and his wife Ethel live in a big house in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Ray is very committed to his job, which requires him to be on the road quite a lot; however this has created tension between Ray and Ethel as Ethel wishes that Ray would be as interested in her as he is in his job. Ray’s job involves him making pitches about new merchandise that

  • Perfectionism Is Harmful

    817 Words  | 4 Pages

    satisfaction in colleges students. Perfectionism has proved to cause depression as were most people think of it as a saving grace and it leads to a happy life. Ann W. Smith proves this to us “We live in a culture that values perfection, and that leads us to believe that doing things perfectly leads to happiness and success” (Smith). This is true, she also states that “Perfectionists have a deep need to