History | Feature Spotlight
Bessie Smith, born in Chattanooga, Tennesse in approximately 1894; was nicknamed the “Empress of Blues”. She was one of the most successful Black performers and recording artists in the 1920s. She was known to have intimate relationships with her fellow female performers while on tour and was even rumored to have threatened a lover by declaring “I got twelve women on this show and I can have one every night if I want it!”
Bessie Smith began singing with her brother in the streets to try and maintain a living for the both of them after their parents died while she was still under the age of 11. Between the years of 1912 and 1921, Smith travelled extensively all over the South performing.
Notably, she performed onstage regularly in 1918 in Atlanta as a male impersonator. Male impersonation was quite popular in the 1920s during the Harlem Renaissance and was almost exclusively associated with queerness.
Smith’s first record “Down Hearted Blues” would go on to sell over two million copies and would eventually tour with another well-known queer powerhouse – Ma Rainey .
Known for her lush contralto voice, Bessie Smith embodied the essence of blues – spinning tales of poverty and oppression and love into tunes that would mesmerize all audiences. She was a key component in Black entertainment of the 20s and also opened the idea of queerness in Black entertainment spaces. A pioneer in her own right, Bessie Smith – the “Empress of Blues” paved the way for black entertainers, blues and queerness.
Carl Van Vechten Estate/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. LC-DIG-ppmsca-09571