Chapter 5: The Blues
Bessie Smith (1894–1937), known as the "Empress of the Blues," was the most prominent and influential urban blues singer of the 1920s. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she began singing in tent shows and minstrel circuits as a child and was mentored by Ma Rainey, another early blues legend. In the early 1920s, Smith moved to New York and began a recording career with Columbia Records. Between 1923 and 1933, she recorded 180 sides, often accompanied by top jazz musicians of the day, including Coleman Hawkins, Benny Goodman, Clarence Williams, and James P. Johnson.
Smith’s expressive voice and masterful phrasing made her a favorite among both Black and white audiences. Her recordings conveyed raw emotion and lyrical storytelling, as heard in her classic rendition of "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," a song that became an anthem during the Great Depression. Another standout performance is "Backwater Blues," an original composition inspired by the devastating 1926 flood of the Cumberland River in Nashville. In that recording, Smith engages in expressive call and response with pianist James P. Johnson, demonstrating the emotional depth and musical sophistication of the urban blues style. Though her popularity declined in the 1930s, Bessie Smith's influence was enduring. Her legacy paved the way for generations of female vocalists in blues, jazz, and popular music, and she remains a towering figure in American musical history.
Mamie Smith also played a pivotal role in the emergence of the urban blues recording industry. A vaudeville performer by training, she broke new ground in August 1920 when she recorded "Crazy Blues," written by fellow vaudevillian Perry Bradford, for OKeh Records in New York. The song’s success was unprecedented, selling over 75,000 copies in its first month, and proved that there was a substantial market for blues recordings by African American artists. This breakthrough led to a boom in the production of race records and opened doors for other Black female blues singers including Victoria Spivey, Sippie Wallace, Sara Martin, Alberta Hunter, Ida Cox, Ma Rainey, and Clara Smith.
Mamie Smith and her contemporaries were initially rejected by many record executives, who objected to their unrefined vocal timbre, Southern diction, and unpolished performance style. These qualities were deeply rooted in African American musical tradition but were unfamiliar and undervalued by white industry gatekeepers. Their ultimate commercial success challenged industry assumptions and reshaped the landscape of American music.
Though these women often sang about themes like love, heartache, and sexual relationships, they also cultivated public images of refinement and glamour. Known for performing in lavish gowns adorned with jewels and feathers, they presented themselves as stars. Their stage presence conveyed luxury, confidence, and power, reshaping popular ideas of femininity and Black womanhood. Their audiences responded in kind, bestowing regal titles such as "Empress of the Blues" for Bessie Smith and "Mother of the Blues" for Ma Rainey in recognition of their artistic and cultural importance. Her legacy paved the way for generations of female vocalists in blues, jazz, and popular music, and she remains a towering figure in American musical history.