Bessie Smith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Bessie Smith - act ExampleBessie Smiths inherent passion for music was discovered fortunately at a very young age as she and her brother took to the streets of their local neighbourhoods in Chattanoonga, as they sang and danced in order to earn m bingley for their meals. However, her brother briefly left her to join a professional company and she was left behind due to being very young. Soon enough, her brother arranged for a concussion and interview for Bessie for the Stokes Troupe and she was hired as a dancer but not as a singer, thus her true potential had yet not been take in. In 1915, the singer left and became a fail of the Theater Owners Bookers Association, an African American performance group and this became the milestone in her career. The group helped her to gain popularity all(a) over and become a recognised singer. Following this, offers began coming in for Bessie to be part of musicals and one of her commencement ceremonys, titled How Come? made its way to Broad way as well. Here, Bessie co starred with Sidney Bechet. Looking at her conquest and get downting motivated by the same, Smith moved on to working in theatre, mostly threatening theatres as they accepted her dampen, and in 1923 she landed with her first recording contract. Soon enough, Bessie became one of the highest paid sorry women in her field however, the money did not reserve much difference to her life then and she realised she wanted to sing all her life. Smiths voice, mellifluous and harmonious, was something she was able to practice and develop on her own. She did not receive any formal training from anywhere, and with the practice she had had since her early years, she dedicated and devoted more(prenominal) meter to get even better than what she was and all that she had achieved. Bessies mentor, during her years with the Stokes Troupe was Ma Rainey, and she well-educated a lot during her time there even though it was not a platform for her to better her vocal pow er and skills. Nonetheless, under Ma Rainey, she was able to learn and understand what stage presence meant and how she could make herself better in front of the general public. During the time that Bessie was trying to establish herself, the environment for black pot was not very conducive. Apartheid reigned badly all around and the opportunities for blacks were very limited, especially in off the nab fields like music. She first got a chance to sing with Okeh Records as they signed her on base Mamie Smith. Being a woman, Bessie knew she had to really give in her best and fight for her rights in order to get her music heard across to people and have them accept her first as a thespian and then as an identity and part of her race. Columbia Records thus, was impressed by her because of her work with Okeh Records, and soon signed her as a part of race records series with her record named Cemetery Blues which was the first to be released in 1923. Paramount Label had helped Bessies first hit titled Gulf rim Blues coupled with Downhearted Blues to become an even bigger hit than what it was at the time of release. Bessie began to tour following this success as well as prepared and trained for theatre productions and musicals. She was given up titles such as