Women in Music Vol.1 - Bessie Smith

Women in music are a special breed. In a predominantly male industry, it seems that they had to struggle a bit more than men (especially in the early days of popular music) to find their place among the stars. But quantity doesn’t produce quality (however strong Marx tried to prove the opposite), or at least, quality is not conditioned by quantity, and in that sense women have left a mark on modern art and music, that is equally important as that of their male colleagues. Surely, music and arts are not a place for gender competitions, but what always struck me when thinking of female musicians, is how they escape the stereotypes of that same industry, much more easily than men. Of course, I have in mind the ones that left their creative mark on music, and not the bunch of lollipop singers, dancing models and similar “stars” and “divas.” Those creative women that I have in mind are responsible for some of the best songs written, sang, and recorded in the history of popular music.

So where do we start? Although these series are not going to be made in chronological order, I decided to open the first chapter of ‘Women in Music’ with the first great Lady in the music business - Bessie Smith. She wasn’t the first woman to record, and neither was she the first to gain fame and respect. But she was definitely the first to make a lot of money, sell millions of records and leave behind a legacy that will strongly influence further some of the best singers in jazz and blues. Bessie Smith was one of the biggest African-American stars of the 1920s and the most popular female artist of that time. Her popularity was equally big at both White and African-American audiences, which made possible the amounts of record sales.She was the greatest of the classic Blues singers of the 1920s, earning the title The Empress of the Blues.

Bessie Smith was a rough, crude, even a violent woman. But that’s just what you had to be to crawl up from the mud in which African-Americans were in those times in the South, and rise to stardom, as she did. Bessie was born, raised and started out as a street musician in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 1912, she joined a traveling show as a dancer and singer, show that featured Pa and Ma Rainey (another female blues legend,), and Smith developed a friendship with Ma. Bessie stayed with the show until 1915 with Ma Rainey as her mentor. Rainey did not teach Smith to sing, but she helped her develop a stage presence. By the early 1920s, Bessie was one of the most popular Blues singers in vaudeville.  She was the highest paid black entertainer of the day, heading her own shows, which sometimes featured as many as 40 troupers, and touring in her own custom-built railroad car. In 1923 she made her recording debut on Columbia, accompanied by pianist Clarence Williams, with "Gulf Coast Blues" and "Down Hearted Blues." The record sold more than 750,000 copies that same year.

Throughout the 1920s, Smith recorded with many of the great Jazz musicians of that era, including Fletcher Henderson, James P. Johnson, Coleman Hawkins, Don Redman and Louis Armstrong. Her rendition of "St. Louis Blues" with Armstrong is considered by most critics to be one of finest recordings of the 1920s.

By 1931 the Classic Blues style of Bessie Smith was outdated. The Depression, as well as the emergence of mediums like the radio and the sound movies, had damaged the record companies' ability to sell records. Columbia decided to drop Smith from its roster. Despite having no record company Smith was still very popular in the South and continued to draw large crowds, although the money was not nearly as good as it had been in the 1920s. Bessie had started to label herself as a Swing musician and was on the verge of a comeback when her life was tragically cut short by an automobile accident in 1937.  Her last recording was made on November 24, 1933, with a band that included such swing era musicians as trombonist Jack Teagarden, trumpeter Frankie Newton, tenor saxophonist Chu Berry, pianist Buck Washington, guitarist Bobby Johnson, and bassist Billy Taylor. Benny Goodman, who happened to be recording with Ethel Waters in the adjoining studio, dropped by and is barely audible on one selection. Under the direction of John Hammond for Okeh, the session was released under the name of Bessie Smith accompanied by Buck and his Band. Billie Holiday, who credited Smith as her major influence, would go on to record her first record for Columbia three days later with the same band personnel.

Next time in the series about Women in Music, we’ll jump forward in time and write about some of the more contemporary female artists. Until next time, enjoy some more of Bessie Smith: