(April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) Bessie Smith was born poor in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her parents died when she was eight years old and she began singing to support her family at age seven. She sang on street corners with her brother accompanying her on guitar. Smith's heart-wrenching blues reflected the harsh realities experienced by the black underclass in the Jim Crow era. Bessie Smith went on to become the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. Her first recording, “Downhearted Blues”, established her as the most successful black vocalist of her time. More than any other performer, she was responsible for introducing the blues into the mainstream of American popular music.crossdress
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