Bessie (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780300107562)

The definitive biography of Bessie Smith, the great singer known as the "Empress of the Blues"

Considered by many to be the greatest blues singer of all time, Bessie Smith was also a successful vaudeville entertainer who became the highest paid African-American performer of the roaring twenties. This book--a revised and expanded edition of the classic biography of this extraordinary artist--debunks many of the myths that have circulated since her untimely death in 1937.

Chris Albertson writes with insight and candor about the singer's personal life and her career, supplementing his historical research with dozens of interviews with her relatives, friends, and associates, in particular Ruby Walker Smith, a niece by marriage who toured with Bessie for over a decade. For this new edition he includes more details of Bessie's early years, new interview material, and a chapter devoted to events and responses that followed the original publication in 1971.

Author: Chris Albertson
ISBN-10: 0300107560
ISBN-13: 9780300107562
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 06/10/2005
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 8.46h x 5.80w x 0.85d