mamie smith

[2300skiddoo]

No way to really say who was the first known blues singer, but Mamie definitely made the first blues record. She wasn't in Rainey's class but she was great in her own right. What I'm wondering is whether this very early sound clip might not be the first blues on film?

[joplin49b]

ma rainey was the 1st known female blues singer

[thequietdrummer]

Mamie Smith has great diction and pitch. Her delivery is flowing. Just watch. Thanks for the post. John-Hans Melcher "TheQuietDrummer"

[osbornd89]

Her voice reminds me of Loretta Devine

[neonmoon82]

@osbornd89 I thought the same thing. She kind of looks a bit like Loretta Devine also. If they ever did a play about her it would be perfect casting.

[mrscobert1]

this is kinda cool

[lostris01]

Amazing!

[jvcarmic]

God bless the French for saving this clip from the first great blues singer.

[LouisLeeKH]

The "No Good Man" was playing a "Er Hu" a Chinese string instrument !!!

[mdownhourav2009]

yes better than that white guyjackson ahaha yes mamie sing to me baby!!1

[HarborGuy]

Good as Bessie in my book..........

[tigerseatflesh]

Shes better than that white guy, Michael Jackson.

[sirjuandabicho]

muchas gracias.

[jahlaune]

Funny about her tho she wasnt a blues singer she was a pop/novelty singer made a few colored films too

[paultinsel]

she released the first blues record ever ...i'm suprised we don't hear more about miss smith

[mgluver]

wait...so she released the first blues record ever? r u sure? can u tell me more if u know cause i have 2 do this thing 4 schl and i need info about her, its due 2mrow!

[sousane]

wow she is realy good and have beautiful voice

[Holleybe]

Thanks for this rare look at Mamie! She was THE primary influence on American Popular singing. She was the first successful black recording artist with "Crazy Blues"(2,000,000 copies) This was the beginning of the black recording industry.

She was the main influence on Connee Boswell. Connee was the only influence on Ella Fitzgerald who then influenced them all.

[JosephNScott]

An example of a "black" recording artist who was successful before Mamie was Bert Williams. As researcher Tim Brooks has shown, more than 800 recordings were made by "black" artists before Mamie Smith, almost all by men. She was not the first "black" female to make a record, but of the "black" female stars who began making records in the very early '20s, the period when the record companies began taking marketing directly to "blacks" seriously, she was the first to make a record.

[brenda1b2c3]

She was the first black woman to record a blues record.. there are only 3 other black women to record anything before her (all of them sang gospel) she was the first to record popular music - blues!

[JosephNScott]

Examples of non-religious popular music recorded by "black" women before 1910 are "On The Old Missouri Shore" by May Hyers and "The Honey-suckle And The Bee" by Belle Davis.

[direfranchement]

Though Connee Boswell was a tremendous early influence on Ella, especially noted in her ballad singing, Louis Armstrong was equally significant, perhaps even more important as his scat singing was the template for the style by which Ella became most famous.

[Holleybe]

The only influence Ella herself named was Connee Boswell. She credited Connee as being her only influence and the only person she actually tried to imitate all her life. Connee definitely imitated Louis, as well as Mamie Smith.

[frankiegirl69]

excellent thanks for sharing