Uploaded by erwigaudio on Mar 4, 2008
Bessie Smith -- Baby Won't You Please Come Home 1923
Bessie Smith (1892 or 1894 --1937) was the most popular and successful female American blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s, and a strong influence on subsequent generations, including Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and Janis Joplin.
This is one of her first recordings in 1923 with pianist Clarence Williams.
In no other way than living the kind of violent, hard-drinking street life she sang about, could Bessie Smith have inspired in her audiences the powerful empathy that ultimately won her the title, "Empress of the Blues." Throughout her career, Bessie was respected for being a strong, independent African-American woman with tremendous talent and determination. She expressed great pride in her culture, and gladly participated in its earthy pleasures, regularly indulging her taste for alcohol and sex to extremes. How ever much others tried to run roughshod over her, Bessie refused to submit to the slightest abuse without a knock-down, drag-out fight. With few exceptions, she held to her musical ideals with equal tenacity. Though musically illiterate, she regularly collaborated with her pianists to compose and write down her music and her words frequently touched on pertinent events in her life. Her performance style, too, derives considerably from her own personal and cultural attributes.
(first posted on ilbofilms feb 24 2008; 492 views)
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All Comments (132)
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What a beautiful and a strong voice!!! Bessie Smith were a greatest singer.
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jaja i'm 22 too and i think that this is the real music
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Im 22 also
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"I need money" go git it, girl! lol
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"I need Money" hahaha
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Oh my god, I can't control the urgency in my heart of uproarious love for this song, and this is the first time I hear it. ..I really need to see about All of Bessie's Musical collections. =) I love Bessie. =) This song is beautiful. And, too, is the tenacious Empress!
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@MJmarcelaMJ Ja też, ja kocham Amerykę w latach 20.
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To: WWComradeB: slow down on the booze but you are right about Bessie. Never been anyone quite like her. Best, alkuhn1
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LEGEND
100 videos
YouTube Mix for Bessie Smith
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- 3:31Dinah Washington - Drinking Againby rahtidboydem232,300 views
I'm so glad that Internet exist, without it maybe we all 90's kids would never be able to taste such an exquisite artist like Bessie
3Glimpse3 10 months ago 17
I miss this rich music and im only 22!
tinyyuki 10 months ago 7