- published: 04 Jun 2009
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Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer.
Nicknamed The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on subsequent jazz vocalists.
The 1900 census indicates that Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in July 1892. However, the 1910 census recorded her birthday as April 15, 1894, a date that appears on all subsequent documents and was observed by the entire Smith family. Census data also contributes to controversy about the size of her family. The 1870 and 1880 censuses report three older half-siblings, while later interviews with Smith's family and contemporaries did not include these individuals among her siblings.
Bessie Smith was the daughter of Laura (née Owens) and William Smith. William Smith was a laborer and part-time Baptist preacher (he was listed in the 1870 census as a "minister of the gospel", in Moulton, Lawrence, Alabama.) He died before his daughter could remember him. By the time she was nine, she had lost her mother and a brother as well. Her older sister Viola took charge of caring for her siblings.
Bessie Smith (Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out, 1929) Jazz Legend
Bessie Smith - 100 Essential Hits - Very Best Of (AudioSonic Music) [Full Album]
ST. LOUIS BLUES. Blues Legend Bessie Smith's only film appearance. Uncut 1929
Bessie Smith- I need A Little Sugar In My bowl
Bessie Smith - Gimme a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer (Audio)
Bessie Smith - St. Louis Blues (1929)
Bessie: The Music of Bessie Smith (HBO Films)
Bessie Smith - Mini Bio
Bessie Smith - Yellowdog Blues
Bessie Smith - I'm Wild About That Thing (1929)
Actors: Bob Mackie (costume designer), Carl Reiner (actor), Mitzi Gaynor (actress), Tony Charmoli (miscellaneous crew), Tony Charmoli (director), Ken Berry (actor), Linda Hopkins (actress), Jerry Mayer (writer), Harry Waterson (producer), Jack Bean (producer), Jerry Weiss (miscellaneous crew), Ted Baker (miscellaneous crew), Dolly Derderian (miscellaneous crew), Dick Beard (miscellaneous crew), Phyllis Nelson (miscellaneous crew),
Genres: Comedy, Music,Actors: Jaime Mendoza-Nava (composer), Charles B. Pierce (director), Charles B. Pierce (producer), Gene Ross (actor), Tom Boutross (editor), Earl E. Smith (producer), Earl E. Smith (writer), Steve Lyons (miscellaneous crew), Steve Lyons (actor), Chuck Pierce Jr. (actor), Bill Hunt (actor), Jeff Crabtree (actor), John Wallis (actor), James Tennison (actor), Aaron Ball (actor),
Plot: A documentary-style drama which questions the existence of a monster in an Arkansas swamp. It is really more of a glimpse at lower-class swamp culture from the seventies, though, than a monster flick.
Keywords: bigfoot, giant-creature, independent-film, monster, sasquatchActors: Wylie Watson (actor), Jack Vyvian (actor), Kynaston Reeves (actor), John Boxer (actor), Ivor Barnard (actor), Nicholas Phipps (actor), Anthony Newley (actor), Ivan Desny (actor), Henry Edwards (actor), Cameron Hall (actor), Edward Chapman (actor), David Horne (actor), André Morell (actor), John Laurie (actor), Jean Cadell (actress),
Plot: Based on the true story of Madeleine Smith, a young Glasgow woman from a wealthy family, she stood trial in 1857 for the murder of her lover, Emile L'Angelier. Her trial was much publicized in the newspapers of the day and was labeled "the trial of the century."
Keywords: 1850s, based-on-true-story, british-noir, character-name-in-title, father-daughter-relationship, husband-wife-relationship, judge, justice, love-letter, mother-daughter-relationshipBessie was more than just a friend of mine
We shared the good times with the bad
Now many a year has passed me by
I still recall the best thing I ever had
Now, I'm goin' down the road to see Bessie
Oh, see her soon
I'm just goin' down the road to see Bessie Smith
When I get there I'm wonderin' what she'll do
All the crazy things I had to try
Well, I tried them all and then some
But if you're lucky one day you'll find out
Where it is you're really comin' from
Now, I'm goin' down the road to see Bessie
Oh, see her soon
I'm just goin' down the road to see Bessie Smith
And when I get there I'm wonderin' what she'll do
Now in my day I've made some foolish moves
But back then, I didn't worry 'bout a thing
Now and again I still wonder to myself
Was it her sweet love or the way that she could sing
And now I'm goin' down the road to see Bessie
Oh, see her soon
I'm just goin' down the road to see Bessie Smith