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Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee to William and Lauren Smith. She was their 5th of 7th child. Her father died shortly after she was born.
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Around 1906 her mother and 2 of her brothers passed away. She and her other siblings were raised by their oldest sister Viola and aunt.
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At age 18, Bessie left home to pursue her music career. She worked with Moses Stokes traveling minstrel show. She was a dancer
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While working with the minstrel, Bessie looked up to Ma Rainey aka “Mother of the blues”. The two grew close, as Bessie learned so much from her.
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She was noticed by Frank Walker of Columbia Records, and gave her a recoding contract from 1923-1931
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Bessie had multiple hits during this timespan the swayed America.
“Down Hearted Blues” (1923)
“St. Louis Blues” ft Louis Armstrong (1925)
“A good man is hard to find” (1927) -
Bessie met Jack Gee Around 1922, where she nursed him back to health after he was shot on their first date. The two fell in love with eachother and They were Married June 7th 1923
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With all things goin well in her life, Bessie adopted a 6 year old son from one of her chorus girls, and named him Jack Gee Jr.
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A rough year for Bessie. Her and Husband, were constantly fighting, he then took her money to support his mistress, which led to their nasty divorce.
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In retaliation Jack Gee, took her son away from her, by going to courts saying she was a bad mother. Custody of the boy was to his biological father B. Warren, who treated the boy terribly
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1929, as The Great Depression occurred , her career began to flounder, she had no family .
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John Hammond a Producer reached out to Bessie to make new recordings.
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Bessie was on her way to a show in Memphis, Tennessee, when she was involved in a horrible Car accident, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. She died at 43.
