Long before superstardom existed, Bessie Smith showed the world what it meant to be a legend. Born into poverty, she turned ...

Bessie Smith, Empress of the Blues, was the first African American superstar, an artist that mingled regal dignity with sensuality. We’ll sample her recorded legacy, talk with critics and hear ...

On this day, 100 years ago, Columbia Records held a recording session with a singer named Bessie Smith. The country at large didn't know her then, but soon found out because she was launching a career ...

There’s a reason Bessie Smith was known as the Empress of the Blues. Her heartfelt songs and gritty glamour introduced the sounds of African American music to large audiences in the 1920s and 30s. She ...

Sexy and racy, Blues singer Bessie Smith was the definition of a Red Hot Mamma and the most successful entertainer of her time. On the eve of her tragic death in 1937, Bessie takes center stage in a ...

BILL HALEY & HIS COMETS: (Singing) We're gonna rock around the clock tonight. We're gonna rock, rock, rock till broad daylight. SHAPIRO: Or does rock 'n' roll owe a debt to lesser-known musical ...

I recently attended the WTCI Gratitude Gathering at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and was absolutely blown away by the quality of that small museum. Staff and volunteers utilized pandemic downtime ...

The Bessie Smith Cultural Center is unveiling a dynamic schedule of events and activities in celebration of Black History Month this year. As a cornerstone of cultural enrichment, the center aims to ...

Miche Braden has been channeling Bessie Smith for over a decade. Now she's bringing her show, The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, to the St. Luke's Theater Off Broadway, set to open ...

A film clip with Bessie Smith singing in St. Louis Blues. It consists of a single reel of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with variable-area optical sound. The clip opens with Bessie ...

The Bessie Smith Cultural Center announces the schedule of events and activities in celebration of Black History Month this year in their aim to "honor the rich history, achievements and contributions ...