Bessie: Empress Of The Blues
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
She was the highest-paid Black entertainer of the 1920s, a woman of volcanic talent and fierce independence who conquered the stages of America with nothing but her voice — Chris Albertson's Bessie: Empress of the Blues is the definitive biography of Bessie Smith, the legendary blues singer whose raw, powerful artistry shaped the very soul of American music. Albertson chronicles Smith's extraordinary life with meticulous detail, tracing her journey from the poverty-stricken streets of Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the pinnacle of the Harlem Renaissance, painting a portrait of a woman who wielded her voice like a force of nature, recording over 160 songs and selling millions of records at a time when both her race and gender conspired to limit her horizons. Drawing on interviews with those who knew her personally, Albertson uncovers the full, unvarnished truth of Bessie Smith's life — her turbulent romances, her battles with racism and the entertainment industry, and her legendary excesses — presenting a subject far more complex and compelling than the mythologised figure of popular memory. Written with journalistic rigour and deep musical insight, this biography stands as a landmark work in American cultural history, illuminating how one woman's genius irrevocably transformed blues, jazz, and popular music as a whole. For anyone who has ever been moved by the blues, Bessie poses an irresistible question: how much more might she have achieved, had the world been ready for her?
Author: Chris Albertson
Format: Paperback
Genre: Biography
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
She was the highest-paid Black entertainer of the 1920s, a woman of volcanic talent and fierce independence who conquered the stages of America with nothing but her voice — Chris Albertson's Bessie: Empress of the Blues is the definitive biography of Bessie Smith, the legendary blues singer whose raw, powerful artistry shaped the very soul of American music. Albertson chronicles Smith's extraordinary life with meticulous detail, tracing her journey from the poverty-stricken streets of Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the pinnacle of the Harlem Renaissance, painting a portrait of a woman who wielded her voice like a force of nature, recording over 160 songs and selling millions of records at a time when both her race and gender conspired to limit her horizons. Drawing on interviews with those who knew her personally, Albertson uncovers the full, unvarnished truth of Bessie Smith's life — her turbulent romances, her battles with racism and the entertainment industry, and her legendary excesses — presenting a subject far more complex and compelling than the mythologised figure of popular memory. Written with journalistic rigour and deep musical insight, this biography stands as a landmark work in American cultural history, illuminating how one woman's genius irrevocably transformed blues, jazz, and popular music as a whole. For anyone who has ever been moved by the blues, Bessie poses an irresistible question: how much more might she have achieved, had the world been ready for her?