Celebrity Graveland

April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937

Combining deep-seated poverty, a troubled childhood and one of the most powerful singing voices ever known is enough to lead anyone to take up residence in the music genre known as “the blues.” But, once in a lifetime – perhaps, in SEVERAL lifetimes – it leads to someone making an entire empire out of it.

Columbia records dubbed Bessie Smith the “Queen of the Blues.” The moniker didn’t last long. By the time her career was in full swing in the late 1920’s, Smith had taken her rightful place at the top of the music world with the more apt title “EMPRESS of the Blues.”

Bessie’s childhood was full of trauma and hardship. After both of her parents died, she and her brother busked for money in their hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Eventually, Bessie was able to perform in an actual theater. From there, her regional notoriety grew and by the time that “race music” was becoming all the rage with fledgling record companies, the search for undiscovered black blues singers led scouts right to Bessie.

Between the years 1923 and 1933, Smith made over 160 records. She had hits called “Downhearted Blues,” “The St. Louis Blues,” Lost Your Head Blues,” “Jailhouse Blues,” “Careless Love Blues”….you get the picture. She embraced the bit. She lived it. And audiences (both black and white) embraced her. She was one of the most popular American female singers of the 1920’s. Known widely for her “roughness,” Bessie’s songs didn’t shy away from taboo topics of the day such as justice and race issues and sexual freedom. She was empowerment personified.

During the Great Depression, the recording industry struggled. Bessie made her way through it. She appeared in one film and a show on Broadway, though neither garnered much attention. By the mid ’30s, her songs were beginning to transition toward the more modern “swing” movement, but Bessie wouldn’t get to experience much of it. In 1937, Bessie and her partner were involved in a car crash. Smith took the brunt of the impact and died shortly afterward in the hospital. She was 43. She was buried near the home she shared with her ex-husband. Her grave was unmarked for decades.

Burial

Mount Lawn Cemetery – Sharon Hill, PA

Specific Location

Section C, Lot 26, Grave 3; Enter the northern garden and take the first left. Then turn right and stop when there are 4 trees to your left on the other side of Section C. Bessie is buried just a few rows in front of the 3rd tree.

This entry was posted on April 22, 2024 at 1:22 pm and is filed under Mount Lawn Cemetery with tags Mount Lawn Cemetery, Singers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.