Bessie Smith Birthday Highlights
Birth Name
Place Of Birth , USA Age 129 years old
Birth Date April 15 1894
Bessie Smith Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Singer Education & Qualifications
About Bessie Smith Bessie Smith was one of the most famous blues singers in the ’20s.Born in Chattanooga, Bessie Smith started singing at a young age to support her family. By the end of her life, she was one of the greatest singers and even influenced the jazz and blues singers that followed in her footsteps.Born in April 1894, in Chattanooga, Bessie Smith sung many famous songs such as ‘Empty Bed Blues’, for which she won many awards. Her voice, style and mannerism helped to bring the focus of music in popular culture, to the blues genre. She is one of the greatest blues singers of her time and her debut album, ‘Downhearted Blues’, in 1923, sold over 750,000 copies.Bessie Smith died on September 26, 1937 after being severely injured in a road accident. She was traveling between Memphis, Tennessee and Clarksdale, Mississippi on Route 61. October 4, 1937 was when Bessie Smith’s funeral took place in Philadelphia.Bessie Smith Net Worth, Earnings & Spending HabitsWhat was Bessie Smith’s net worth?The net worth of Bessie Smith before she died was estimated to be about $49 million.Height, Age & Physical AttributesHow tall was Bessie Smith?Bessie Smith, the well-known blues singer, was 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) tall.How old was Bessie Smith?Bessie Smith was born on April 15, 1894 and died on September 15, 1937. Bessie Smith was 43 years old at the time of her death. The April birthday of this singer makes her zodiac sign Aries.Childhood And EducationBessie Smith was born to Laura and William Smith on April 15, 1894. Her father was a Baptist preacher and laborer, in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she was born. Her mother had passed away by the time she was nine years old.Bessie Smith is believed to have had three siblings; a brother who died when she was nine; Viola, her sister, who took care of her after her parents passed away; and another brother, Andrew. Clarence was her oldest brother.As her parents had died and the family was very poor, Bessie could not go to school and so she worked as a street performer with Andrew. They mostly performed at the corner of Elm and Thirteenth Street and in the areas of Chattanooga that had a large number of African-American people.Clarence had left the family to join the Stokes, a traveling troupe and when he returned in 1912 he got Bessie to audition for the managers. It is believed that Ma Rainey, a well-known blues singer was a part of this group and helped Smith learn how to make an impact on stage.Family, Romance And RelationshipsWho was Bessie Smith’s partner?Bessie Smith met Jack Gee in Philadelphia in 1923. He was a security guard and the couple were wed on June 7 of that same year. In 1929, after many rumors of affairs and infidelity, the relationship ended. However, they did not get divorced. Smith had adopted a boy while marred to Gee, but Gee turned the child over to the authorities claiming that Smith was mistreating the boy and she therefore lost custody of the child.She later started living with Richard Morgan, a friend, in a common law marriage and remained with him until she died.Career And Professional HighlightsBest Known ForFrom performing as a dancer in the Stokes troupe, Bessie Smith became a chorus singer and worked in Atlanta at the 81 Theater.In the ’20s she was popular in the east coast and south of the country. At this time blues singers, especially females, were very popular.Hence, in 1923, a talent scout by the name of Frank Walker who had seen Bessie Smith perform for many years, got her a deal with the record label, Columbia and this was the start of her recording career. As her records became hits her popularity grew and by the late ’20s she was a very famous entertainer. On January 1925, she recorded her first session with Louis Armstrong.She was given the nickname, Queen of the Blues, by the publicity department at Columbia Records and was known as Empress of the Blues in the press.Working with some of the best musicians of the day, including Fletcher Henderson and Louis Armstrong, the number of recordings that this blues singer completed for Columbia Records was 160.The Great Depression and the addition of sound to films are some of the factors that curbed the career of this blues singer. However, she continued to tour and even featured in ‘Pansy’, a Broadway musical. Although this Broadway show was a flop, she was reviewed positively by critics.She also made an appearance in a short film titled ‘St Louis Blues’ in 1929. This movie was based on one of her songs.What awards did Bessie Smith win?Three hits of Bessie Smith were included in the Grammy Hall of Fame. This award honors recordings that are 25 years old. These include ‘Downhearted Blues’, which is a blues single recorded in 1923 and the song that she is best known by. The other songs were ‘St Louis Blues’, a jazz single recorded in 1925 and ‘Empty Bed Blues’ another blues single, recorded in 1928.Her recording of ‘Downhearted Blues’ was also added to the National Recording Registry in 2002.Bessie Smith was added to the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1984.She has also been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys and has been inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.To honor this outstanding blues singer, in 1994, the Postal Service in the United States issued a commemorative stamp valued at 29 cents.Other Interesting Bessie Smith Facts And TriviaBessie Smith was among the highest paid African-American entertainers in the ’20s and ’30s. Before the Depression, she is said to have earned about $2000 a week for her performances.The lyrics of her songs were mostly about the issues and difficulties of the African-American communities. She also encouraged women to be independent and to have a life of their own. She is among the first few artists whose lyrics spoke about domestic abuse and other issues that women had to encounter in their daily life.Columbia Records provided Bessie with her own private train which had a kitchen and bathroom.Her funeral was attended by more than 7000 people.Bessie Smith was known to be an extremely generous person. She would help her friends by paying their hospital bills and providing them with any assistance that they needed.Bessie Smith was added to the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1984.She has also been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys and has been inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.Main image credits: Editorial Everett Collection/Shutterstock
Bessie Smith Birthday Highlights
Birth Name
Place Of Birth , USA Age 129 years old
Birth Date April 15 1894
Bessie Smith Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Singer Education & Qualifications
Bessie Smith was one of the most famous blues singers in the ’20s.Born in Chattanooga, Bessie Smith started singing at a young age to support her family. By the end of her life, she was one of the greatest singers and even influenced the jazz and blues singers that followed in her footsteps.Born in April 1894, in Chattanooga, Bessie Smith sung many famous songs such as ‘Empty Bed Blues’, for which she won many awards. Her voice, style and mannerism helped to bring the focus of music in popular culture, to the blues genre. She is one of the greatest blues singers of her time and her debut album, ‘Downhearted Blues’, in 1923, sold over 750,000 copies.Bessie Smith died on September 26, 1937 after being severely injured in a road accident. She was traveling between Memphis, Tennessee and Clarksdale, Mississippi on Route 61. October 4, 1937 was when Bessie Smith’s funeral took place in Philadelphia.
Bessie Smith Birthday Highlights
Birth Name
Place Of Birth , USA Age 129 years old
Birth Date April 15 1894
Bessie Smith Birthday Highlights
Birth Name
Place Of Birth , USA Age 129 years old
Birth Date April 15 1894
Birth Name
Place Of Birth , USA Age 129 years old
Birth Date April 15 1894
Birth Name
Place Of Birth , USA Age 129 years old
Birth Date April 15 1894
Bessie Smith Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Singer Education & Qualifications
Bessie Smith Facts
Child Star? no Occupation Singer Education & Qualifications
Child Star? no Occupation Singer Education & Qualifications
Child Star? no Occupation Singer Education & Qualifications
