Bessie Smith Biography Essay

Over the span of years since the Harlem Renaissance our music has developed greatly. A great deal of people all over the world incorporate music into their everyday lives. Today people have forgotten our iconic musicians who shaped music into what it is today. Bessie Smith was one of those iconic artists who affected music in her generation and numerous generations after her. She paved the path for artists like Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, and Aretha Franklin. Without her influenced who can tell what music would be like today? So who is Bessie Smith? Bessie Smith should be the newest addition to the forever stamp collection.

Bessie Smith is a blues and jazz musician from the Harlem Renaissance and is still considered the “Empress of Blues” to this day. She collaborated with a great number of popular artists like Charlie Green, Joe Smith, Coleman Hawkins, Fletcher Henderson, and Louis Armstrong. She guided music like blues, jazz, and rock and roll music as well. She was born on April 15th, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Unfortunately, she lost both of her parents and a brother before the age of 10. For this reason, her oldest sister took care of the 4 remaining children. Her family was already poor before her parents died, so life was

Smith constantly sang about the troubles she encountered as a person of color. She was extremely outspoken in her music saying things like: “I’m gonna hold it until you men come under my control.” This was highly controversial in that age, but she never stopped singing the truth. She gave countless other black artist, female artist, and people who were living in poverty hope because she was a woman of color who lived in poverty and was able to build herself to the top. After living in poverty for so long she became the highest-paid person of color in that time. She gave people like her a voice because she sang for her rights and the rights for other people around