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.”