| Author | Message | ||
     Brownbeauty123 AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Brownbeauty123 Post Number: 2213 Registered: 03-2006 Rating: N/A |
 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. http://www.amazon.com/Bessie-Revised-and-expanded-edition/dp/B001P5G990/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242673451&sr=8-9 (I thought it was a very good book. Interested if anyone has read any biographies about her) | ||
| Thumper Veteran Poster Username: Thumper Post Number: 833 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
Hello All, Brownbeauty: I read Bessie many years ago. It was one of your first book club selections over 10 years ago. I agree with you, the book is awfully good. My late friend Steve introduced me to Bessie Smith's music and this biography. Now, if you really want a treat, I recommend you get your hands on the 5th volume of The Complete Recordings of Bessie Smith. Over 10 years ago, Sony/Columbia Records released the entire recording output of Bessie Smith, which Chris Albertson wrote the linear notes. The second disc of the 5th volume is a recorded interview with Bessie's niece, Ruby Smith. It's da bomb! I love it! Check it out. Maybe the release of the new edition will finally get Bessie some attention enough to do a movie on her life. | ||
| Brownbeauty123 AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Brownbeauty123 Post Number: 2215 Registered: 03-2006 Rating: N/A |
Thank you for the recommendation. Bessie was something else! Her life story should really be turned into a movie. I can't believe how that woman was strong enough to be knocking out grown men! What I found so hypocritical was how upset she was when her husband had an affair with Gertrude Saunders, when she herself had plenty of affairs with both men and women. I can't seem to find any information on Gertrude, she must not have made much of an impact in the industry |
