She was known as "The Empress of the Blues." Bessie Smith was born April 15, 1894, in Chatanooga, Tennessee, and living in poverty, she got her first taste of performing for money by singing with her siblings on street corners.
Bessie was discovered and signed to Columbia records in 1923 and became one of the premier voices for the blues during the Jazz Age. Her strong contralto voice and her song themes of poverty, intra-racial conflict and female sexuality led to her becoming a favorite of the African-American subculture of the working class. Songs such as "Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do" and "Work House Blues" became big hits for her in the 1920's. Bessie's career was cut short when she passed in 1937 due to severe injuries after a car crash in which she was a passenger.
Tune in on Sunday, August 18, from 4-7pm EDT, as Terence Tyson (host of WHFR's Play it By Ear) explores the music of Bessie Smith on the WHFR Presents program.
WHFR PRESENTS airs every Sunday beginning at 4:00 pm with a rotating cast of WHFR DJs, spotlighting the careers of eclectic artists and/or featuring special themes for the day while taking in-depth looks into the many genres of music that WHFR has to offer. Tune in at 89.3 on the FM dial in Dearborn/Detroit and surrounding communities, or listen anywhere via our online streamer.