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Bessie Smith

Apr 15, 1894 - Sep 26, 1937 (43 years old) in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

Bessie Smith was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues", she 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 was a major influence on fellow blues singers, as well as jazz vocalists.

Known For

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A Huey P. Newton Story
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
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It's Black Entertainment
Self (archive footage)
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Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music
Self (archive footage)
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St. Louis Blues
Bessie - Battered Wife
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The Story Of The Blues
Self (archive footage)
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Blues Masters
Self (archive footage)
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Wild Women Don't Have the Blues
Self (archive footage)
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Blues Masters - The Essential History of the Blues
Self (archive footage)

Credits