Thursday, October 30, 2008
Introduction of Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was a beautiful, well known, and respectful woman. Bessie Smith was an exquisite blues singer and her voice caught people’s ears not just blacks but whites also. In 1912 during the Harlem Renaissance Bessie Smith broke into the singing world. A lot of people could relate to Bessie because of her hard life and struggles she had trying to become a Blues singer. From her being a black female in the music industry it was hard on her so she use alcohol and drugs to get away from her pain. Since she started to use drugs and alcohol her life revolved around drugs and alcohol and singing, which were first in her, life slowly became nothing to her and she fell out the industry.
fifth anotation
Sanders, Madelyn. "Bessie Smith." Women in History. 1/25/2008. 23 Oct 2008 .
This website was very useful, for example it told me about how Bessie Smith was born into a poverty stricken black family in the segregated south. It also stated " Bessie Smith was in the process of a comeback at the time of her tragic death at age forty-three. On Sept. 26, 1937, she was critically injured while on her way to a singing engagement, when the car being driven by her boyfriend Richard Morgan in which she was a passenger crashed into a truck on a road in Mississippi. According to legend segregation led to her death when a white hospital first refused her admission and by the time she arrived at a black hospital in Clarksdale, Miss., it was too late to save her and she bled to death. Although much has been said to dispute this claim, it is not implausible considering that this was the segregated south. The playwright Edward Albee dramatized the account in his 1960 play The Death of Bessie Smith ".
This website helped me a lot it told me about what type of family she was born into and how bessie smith life could have actually been saved after the tragic car crash but since it was a time during segregation the white hospital refused to take her so she bled to death.
This website was very useful, for example it told me about how Bessie Smith was born into a poverty stricken black family in the segregated south. It also stated " Bessie Smith was in the process of a comeback at the time of her tragic death at age forty-three. On Sept. 26, 1937, she was critically injured while on her way to a singing engagement, when the car being driven by her boyfriend Richard Morgan in which she was a passenger crashed into a truck on a road in Mississippi. According to legend segregation led to her death when a white hospital first refused her admission and by the time she arrived at a black hospital in Clarksdale, Miss., it was too late to save her and she bled to death. Although much has been said to dispute this claim, it is not implausible considering that this was the segregated south. The playwright Edward Albee dramatized the account in his 1960 play The Death of Bessie Smith ".
This website helped me a lot it told me about what type of family she was born into and how bessie smith life could have actually been saved after the tragic car crash but since it was a time during segregation the white hospital refused to take her so she bled to death.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thesis Statement
Bessie Smith was a famous African American blues singers born into a time period of segregation, she was acknowledged for her singing but not for her courage. Being loved by not only blacks but whites as well, there were plenty of obstacles and situations that stood in her way.But with every success there is a down fall but she still got through it. Bessie was at the top at a time she got signed to Columbia Records and selling over two millions copies of cds to getting droped from her record company and not selling anything or making any money.
Forth Anotation
Primaryaccess.org. 24 Oct 2008 .
Bessie Smith was a talented African American blues singer. She was a rough, crude, violent woman. She was also the greatest of the classic Blues singers of the 1920s. But during her career she had her ups and downs. She was turned down by three record companies because they felt she wasn't commercial enough, but Columbia Records soon signed Bessie. Her first record "Down Hearted Blues" sold more then 2 million copies within a year. At her peak in the 1920's she earned $2,000 a week, making her the highest paid black entertainer in the country. In 1930 her career had begun to fall due to the public’s change musical taste. By 1931 the Classic Blues style of Bessie Smith was out of style. The Depression, radio, and sound movies had all damaged the record companies' ability to sell records so Columbia dropped Smith from its roster.
Bessie Smith was a talented African American blues singer. She was a rough, crude, violent woman. She was also the greatest of the classic Blues singers of the 1920s. But during her career she had her ups and downs. She was turned down by three record companies because they felt she wasn't commercial enough, but Columbia Records soon signed Bessie. Her first record "Down Hearted Blues" sold more then 2 million copies within a year. At her peak in the 1920's she earned $2,000 a week, making her the highest paid black entertainer in the country. In 1930 her career had begun to fall due to the public’s change musical taste. By 1931 the Classic Blues style of Bessie Smith was out of style. The Depression, radio, and sound movies had all damaged the record companies' ability to sell records so Columbia dropped Smith from its roster.
Third Anotation
"American Decades." enotes.com. 24 Oct 2008 .
During her lifetime the blues was regarded as a form of black expression; she performed for mostly black audiences and recorded for what were classified as race records that were not stocked in record shops catering to whites. Unlike Louis Armstrong, who reached all audiences, Smith was unknown or unavailable to most white Americans during her career. She was a black artist working with traditional black material for a black public nevertheless, Smith gave special performances for white audiences in some large cities.
During her lifetime the blues was regarded as a form of black expression; she performed for mostly black audiences and recorded for what were classified as race records that were not stocked in record shops catering to whites. Unlike Louis Armstrong, who reached all audiences, Smith was unknown or unavailable to most white Americans during her career. She was a black artist working with traditional black material for a black public nevertheless, Smith gave special performances for white audiences in some large cities.
Second Anotation
Forman, Roanna. "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JAZZ MUSICIANS." Jazz.com. 24 Oct 2008 .
When Bessie's mother and father died she was left to take care of her three brothers and sisters by taking in laundry. This strong work ethic made a lasting impression on Bessie. She was determined to leave the poverty and inequality of Blue Goose Hollow, and show business was her ticket. She started street corner singing and dancing with her brother Andrew to boost the family’s income. She did an audition Stokes and later hired Bessie as a dancer, since he already had a singer Ma Rainey. During this time, she developed a reputation as a performer at black theaters across the South and along the Eastern Seaboard. Bessie was decidedly an original, and a natural singer. Bessie Smith is a soprano with a more urban, polished style. In any case Bessie undoubtedly learned how to handle herself on stage from Rainey, even though their styles were different. Things began to change after the 1920s, in 1923, Smith, then living in Philadelphia, auditioned successfully for a recording contract with Columbia and that's where her success begun.
When Bessie's mother and father died she was left to take care of her three brothers and sisters by taking in laundry. This strong work ethic made a lasting impression on Bessie. She was determined to leave the poverty and inequality of Blue Goose Hollow, and show business was her ticket. She started street corner singing and dancing with her brother Andrew to boost the family’s income. She did an audition Stokes and later hired Bessie as a dancer, since he already had a singer Ma Rainey. During this time, she developed a reputation as a performer at black theaters across the South and along the Eastern Seaboard. Bessie was decidedly an original, and a natural singer. Bessie Smith is a soprano with a more urban, polished style. In any case Bessie undoubtedly learned how to handle herself on stage from Rainey, even though their styles were different. Things began to change after the 1920s, in 1923, Smith, then living in Philadelphia, auditioned successfully for a recording contract with Columbia and that's where her success begun.
First Anotations
"Biographies Life and times of the great ones." PBS.org. 24 Oct 2008 .
Bessie Smith was the most successful black performing artist of her time. She not only sang the blues she also did acting too. Bessie began her professional career by sing in 1912. She made almost 200 recordings, of which her remarkable duets with Armstrong are among her best. Although she excelled in the performance of slow blues, she also recorded vigorous versions of jazz standards. By the 1920s, she was a leading artist in black shows on the TOBA circuit and at the 81 Theatre in Atlanta. Her first recording, Down-Hearted Blues, established her as the most successful black performing artist of her time.
Bessie Smith was the most successful black performing artist of her time. She not only sang the blues she also did acting too. Bessie began her professional career by sing in 1912. She made almost 200 recordings, of which her remarkable duets with Armstrong are among her best. Although she excelled in the performance of slow blues, she also recorded vigorous versions of jazz standards. By the 1920s, she was a leading artist in black shows on the TOBA circuit and at the 81 Theatre in Atlanta. Her first recording, Down-Hearted Blues, established her as the most successful black performing artist of her time.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Topic Selection
I choose Bessie Smith for my Nation History Day project because I am interested in the time when slavery just ended and women didn’t really have any rights. Bessie is important to history because she gave colored people a lead way to who wanted to do what she did. She was the first successful, rich and well known black Blues singer. For this week’s research, I found an article at http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/smith_bessie/bio.jhtml that is telling me about her life and fame. I will read and summarize it for next week.
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