Mamie and Bessie Smith - notes PDF

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Mamie and Bessie Smith Monday, September 10, 2018

4:22 PM

• Mamie Smith (1883-1946) ○ Singer, dancer, and actress ○ Grew up in urban Ohio ○ Not in essence a blues singer ○ 1920 - meets Perry Bradford § Connected record labels with singers § Mayme was originally not going to record the song (because she was after demoing the song to the label, they allow her to record the son ○ 1920 - recorded "Crazy Blues" (song) § Sold 1 million copies; reopened the door through which black artist opportunity to record □ From the earliest days of the commercial recording industry, b they had separated into specialty labels (selling Yiddish records communities, etc.) □ Race labels - existed 1920s-40s: greatest blues and jazz perform styles (mostly black communities) however it later became abo of music (not the race of the musicians) (racism towards the m □ Music industry: did not think that jazz music appealed to white classical would appeal to blacks - racist industry; black perform record mainstream pop music/white performers could not reco jazz/blues in earlier times ○ Her success proved to the record industry in a time that they were not apt that white people would listen to jazz and purchase a record, not just blac ○ Launched the "era of the classic female blues singer" - refers to the fact th 1920-1929 (stock market crash) female blues singers ruled the record indu reinforced the race labels, made them an economically successful way to music • Mamie Smith and her Jazz Hounds - music group ○ Coleman Hawkins - later becomes known as the father of the tenor saxop

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(teenager at the time of being in this music group) ○ Recording/touring band ○ What brought her down was the stock market crash § The first people to lose their recording opportunities were the blues because nobody wanted to listen to the sad music during the sad tim § Also hurt the record industry - nobody had money for this at the tim • Andy Kirk ○ The 12 clouds of joy - his band ○ Swing era ○ Joined forces with Mamie Smith ○ Survived the era and the 1930's together • Music industry strike ○ 1942-1944 - musicians federation went on strike against the industry beca were not making royalties from jukebox play ○ Second strike in 1948 ○ End result - very important years of jazz's evolution was not documented § The years during the strike, jazz evolved out of the conventions of sw and into modern jazz • Bessie Smith (1894-1937) ○ Stylistically came from a very different place than Mamie Smith ○ One of the very greatest blues singers ○ Came from Tennessee ○ Street performer by the age of 10, performed with one of her older brothe corners - established a local reputation ○ Generated interest in traveling performers who came through TN ○ At the age of 16 she joins a traveling road show (traveling troop) - like a m ○ Came in contact with Ma Rainy - a revered elder of the true blues music co § In later years people would write that Bessie was influenced by Ma R Bessie denies this - says Ma's influence was more ranging than music § Credited Ma with helping her develop the skills necessary for perfor stages and necessary in the music industry ○ 1913-1922 Bessie was on the road with one show or another (traveling pe ○ 1923 - meets Clarence Williams § Highly skilled performer - piano, violin, song composer, singer

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§ Trained in music law and formed a publishing company of his own § Brought her to music companies to sign her - gets her a deal with on record companies ○ "down hearted blues" ○ 1929 - appeared in her one and only music video - called "soundies" § "St. louis blues" recorded in the mid 1920s - became one of her mos songs ○ 1937 - rebirth of interest in the earliest blues/jazz styles § Both had evolved stylistically in many different ways, and many of th were beginning to want to hear the styles that they had grown up w rekindling of the careers of the earliest blues and jazz performers

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