Bessie Smith: Empress of the Blues

by Chris Albertson, Gunther Schuller

Dust jacket "Bessie Smith combined natural earthiness and vigor with remarkable musical sensitivity. Her art is a diamond with hundreds of facets. She took the rough, undisciplined blues form and converted it into exquisitely subtle jazz, without losing any of the power. Soul music simply could not exist today without her contribution. She was a pop singer in the best sense. Now, Bessie comes alive again in this unique collection of her most famous songs. Not just copies of sheet music, here are actual transcriptions of her recorded performances, with piano reductions and guitar chords. Chris Albertson contributes a discography and a biographical sketch of Bessie, including newly discovered information and photographs not published in his standard biography, and Gunther Schuller's notes on Bessie's unique singing style are perhaps the only good critical description of her art. This book is the ideal companion to the recent, history-making set of Bessie's complete recordings."

The songs in the songbook portion of the book It Makes My Love come Down; Long Road; Jailhouse Blues; Dirty No-Gooder's Blues; Down in the Dumps; In the House Blues; Shipwreck Blues; Safety Mama; Take Me For A Buggy Ride; Blue Blues; Wasted Life Blues; Standin' in the Rain Blues; Squeeze Me; Baby Won't You Please Come Home; Pickpocket Blues; Backwater Blues; Young Woman's Blues; See If I'll Care; New Orleans Hop Scop Blues; Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out; Baby Doll; Please Help Me Get Him Off My Mind; Reckless Blues; My Man Blues; Poor Man's Blues; Hard Time Blues; Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do; Cake Walking Babies From Home; Gimme a Pigfoot; Gulf Coast Blues.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, African American, History, Biography Memoir, American History

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[Maya B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! I think the author did a awesome job putting this book together, considering the fact that he only had conversations with people that knew her and whatever he could gather from her record company. The author also had footnotes and pictures throughout the book. One thing for sure Bessie Smith was one wild woman. She had a quick temper and wasn't afraid to fight any woman or man. It was nice to finally read about this blues singer also known as the empress of the blues and get a glimpse into her life. Now I feel prepared for the movie on HBO May 16th starring Queen Latifah as Bessie.

The book I own is the original copy. Published in 1972. 253 pages.

[Me · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic amount of research went into this book and that in itself is amazing since most had to be gathered from live interviews with Bessie's colleagues. Dubbed the Emperoress of the Blues, Bessie was by all accounts a feisty, tough beyond belief, talented singer. Rising up from abject [poverty through singing, Bessie started "working" by age 9 ultimately supporting her 4 adult siblings, a husband, a few lovers and an adopted child. This biography also dispels some of the rumors surrounding Bessie's death.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is, of course, only so much information available on Bessie Smith at this late date (or even in 1972 when the first edition was published), but Albertson does a remarkable job of developing a portrait of the Empress of the Blues with what little raw material was available. If the account of the first 25 years or so of her life is frustratingly vague, that's not Albertson's fault - there simply isn't any documentation available of those days. Based on what he did have, we get a real if fleeting sense of who she was and what made her both a great performer and a rather volatile personality.

Best of all is that he deals honestly with the very real issue of racism (Smith's popularity coincided with arguably the nadir of race relations of the entire post-emancipation era), without resorting to the politically correct revisionism that so often comes with any discussion of Black musicians of decades past nowadays. Indeed, the infamous rumor surrounding Smith's death was possibly the very first such example of that unfortunate trope, and Albertson debunks it in no uncertain terms. Along the way, he reveals that a much-lauded music industry figure of the era was actually a very problematic figure at best, something that will come as an unpleasant surprise to others like myself who knew a little bit of the story already. Well worth it for setting the record straight, though.

Highly recommended for blues and jazz fans everywhere!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good biography of a fascinating person. Albertson does a good job of giving a rounded picture of Bessie Smith, although most of the interest and vitality comes from the verbatim memories of Ruby Walker, Smith's niece by marriage, who toured extensively with her in the 1920's and 30's. Albertson readily admits that without Ruby there wouldn't be a book, and her words definitely communicate much about Bessie that would otherwise be lost: her rollicking sense of humor, her mood throughout different eras, and what it was like to just hang out with her. Her famous temper probably would have come through, but maybe not how quick she often was to forgive and forget. Albertson's prose seems slightly dated (originally published in 1971, it seems to belong somewhat to an older, less engaging school of nonfiction writing). But it gives good structure and some commentary to the anecdotes related by Ruby and his other sources, some of which are amazing: the account of Smith cussing out Ku Klux Klan members who were trying to sabotage her performance tent, and creating such a formidable spectacle that the men slunk off into the night, was what turned me on to Albertson's book to begin with. There's lots more where that came from, but Smith is never painted as infallible or flawless. All in all, an enjoyable and educational read!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

At some point in my teenage years I became a fan of Bessie Smith. I don't remember how it happened. I just remember being blown away when I heard "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out". I had been a Clapton fan for years, thanks to my dad, and learning that Derek and the Dominoes did that as a cover ... it shattered my fragile little teenage mind.

I found this book several years ago. It sat on my shelf. For years. The problem is that I don't like biographies about stars. I don't care what kind of shenanigans they get into, or who they met or knew. But I was intrigued enough about Bessie that I finally started the book last July. It took me 7 months to read it. We're talking about a 300ish page book. It's insane because it's very well written and engaging. The author has great sources. It is a fun book; I could never imagine a time and life like she lived, and it was fascinating to read about it. Yes, her life did have hard times, but not nearly as much as I imagined. The prejudice she faced was appalling but it wasn't anything worse than was normal for the times. Once I got about halfway through I finished it very quickly. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in blues or early 20th century American history.

[Lee Wellbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extraordinarily well-researched and finely crafted biography, particularly given the scarcity of decent documentation about Bessie Smith’s life and the myths that swirl around her story. This book gives a real insight to the life of black entertainers in the 1920’s and 30’s and goes some way to dispelling the “lonely performer suffering for his/her art” that hangs over pre-war blues. The author obviously has a bit of a beef with a few people (e.g. John Hammond, Carl Van Vechten) which interferes with some of the flow, but in general, this is a substantial and highly informative piece of work.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could rate this higher than five stars. Chris Albertson, through his extensive research, brought Bessie Smith to life. His book is in no way sensationalist, and it is clearly crafted out of his love for her and her music.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rate this 4.5 out of 5.

I listened to this book with the last of my Audible subscription.

I must admit that I had not heard of Bessie Smith before reading this book. Albertson does an excellent job of bringing Smith's complex personality to life throughout the book. He even managed to bring out her sense of humour from the stories that sources provided Albertson. Smith had a great talent for singing, being known as the Empress of Blues and the albums I've listened to since reading this work make it clear this is a well-deserved title.

Although, 75% of this book covers the life, career, and relationships of Smith a good 25% of the book covers music history, particularly in the realm of Blues and Jazz. These parts were interesting, well-researched, and written in a way that as someone with no background information, I was able to follow along without issues. However, there were a few places where this history did overtake the fascinating story of Smith's life.

If you are a music lover or enjoy reading something new, this is an excellent book. The impact that Bessie Smith had on music in the United States is far-reaching and it is important to bring her life back to the forefront of music history.

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Kidnapping and Classism

Minor: Homophobia, Suicide, Death of a parent, and Lesbophobia

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fabulous read about one of the giants of the early recorded music industry as a blues, jazz and standards singer. Her popularity through the 1920's to early 1930's was unrivaled. Her popularity was strongest in the South, even among the Whites, although that popularity was only for her artistry and not as a person. As the author notes in the early 1920's the earliest days of radio, there was no such thing as Black radio. Among other jazz greats, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Fletcher Henderson all joined Bessie in her recording sessions. She also appeared in films albeit only one and a short at that, but that film: St Louis Blues, is the only film of Bessie performing live and gives you a good idea of the powerful performer she was. The author also, through a lot of research, put paid to the false narrative that Bessie died due to lack of medical care at a White hospital. Overall a great read to learn about the roots not only of "the blues" but of rock 'n' roll.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great dive into Bessie's life which is often bogged down by myth. It goes into a fair amount of detail about her professional relationships with other women blues singers such as Ma Rainey, Clara Smith and Ida Cox. Every tour and engagement she did is covered, some quite extensively. Her recording sessions are also given a lot of room and we see how the evolution of technology influenced her recordings.

She lived a fun, rambunctious life and was making the kind of money most people, particularly Black women at the time, could only dream of. Regardless, it was also marked by abuse and exploitation at the hands of her husband Jack Gee. The book never feels like it's spinning its wheels like the Billie Holiday biography by Donald Clarke.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible edition. 3.5 stars.
There are a lot of interesting facts about Bessie's life that have been well researched by the author. When in doubt he gives all of the versions he has learned. He clears up the big urban legend surrounding her death as well pointing out that she should be remembered for her music and not some lie that was spread about her death using her for a cause instead of celebrating her talent. One drawback is that the book is repetitive. With better editing this could have been a much smoother read. I felt it bogged down at times. I thought the narrator did a good job.

[Dee Dee G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched. This is an old book and some of the language in it isn’t politically correct today. Geesh, Bessie was ALWAYS fighting. Her life was very dysfunctional, but she worked hard.

[Deena Dietrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

REALLY thorough

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting portrait

Bessie Smith is the kind of heroine fiction would not dare invent: brilliant, creative, charismatic, unpredictable, flawed, fierce, and fearless.

[Carol E. Drewes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossing biography of an icon written from a music-industry insider’s perspective.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

EDIT: The copy I had was an original 1970s copy, this may explain the difference in my opinion from many other reviewers.

I think this biography shows its age in a lot of ways. Even though it is of a reasonable length it doesn't really reveal that much information as large sections of it are just devoted to reproducing interviews or articles. It makes no attempt to gain any real understanding or insight into her artistic choices, rather listing events. It is most insightful in terms of the music industry of the day. At its worst however, is that the author seems to treat black people as some obscure anthropological concern rather than actual people.
There are some insights but it was a bit of a disappointment overall.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, well researched bio which has nice balance of history of the time with her life story. This book brings to life the woman from those same 6 or 7 photos of her that you always see. I wondered what a modern hip hop artist or soul singer would think of this story or what she would think of the life of a modern singer. She was a trail blazer for sure.

[James Colvard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albertson does a great job of evoking details out of the people that new and loved Bessie Smith and as a result the book depicts a fascinating account of her legendary career and life. Really enjoyed this one.

[Tris · Rating 3 out of 5]

After interviewing friends, family and fellow performers, this book concludes what is already obvious from Bessie Smith's body of work-- that she was one talented, tough, big-hearted, rode-hard-and-put-away-wet broad.

[Harold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt the best book on Bessie.

[Bliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read. I learned a fair amount about the blues world of Bessie Smith's time as well as the woman herself.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts coming shortly

[Donna-Jo Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous re-read; the definitive biography of legendary early 20th century blues singer Bessie Smith, whose haunting voice and outrageous lifestyle influenced scores of singers after her.