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The Augusta News-Review - January 8,1976 •
Playin’
The Changes
BESSIE SMITH:
"Empress Os The Blues”
Bessie Smith was bom in
Chattanooga Tennessee on a
date somewhere around April
15, 1894... This is an
assumption because she had no
official birth certificate, Her
father was a Baptist preacher
who died shortly after Bessie’s
birth. Bessie was from a large
family and'had seven brothers
and sisters. By the time she was
eight, her mother and two of
her brothers were dead. Viola,
the oldest child, raised the
remainder of the children.
Bessie’s brother, Clarence
was a dancer and comedian. It
was he who got her into music.
Her first job was on a show
with Gertrude “Ma” Rainey.
“Ma” Rainey became famous
as “Mother of the Blues” and
one of the greatest Blues
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By Stan Raines
singers in the world, second
only to Bessie Smith.
In 1913 Bessie had already
gained a reputation as a dancer
and singer. She was only a
teenager then and was making
SlO a week.
Bessie married a prominent
Black Mississippi man, known
as Earl Love. He died shortly
afterwards leaving her alone
again. But, Bessie was always
Black and proud. Her roots
were buried deep in the streets
and she grew into a strong,
uncompromising woman. The
record industry was already 20
years old and just considering
Black music. The first so-called
Jazz records - were made by
Columbia Records in January
1917.
In August 1920 Mamie
Page 2
f
I ■ '
(Bessie) Smith became the first
Black artist to record a solo
vocal performance. This
recording sold over 100,000
copies. Black music and artist
became famous at once and all
of the existing record
companies were searching for
Black talent. These records
were called “race” records at
that time. The records were
sold to only Blacks.
The first Black record
company was founded in 1921
by W.C. Handy “Father Os The
Blues” and his partner Harry
Pace. It was the Black Swan
label and Bessie auditioned at
once, but was rejected and
Ethel Waters was signed
instead. Bessie moved to
Philadelphia and was a
smashing success there. Not
only was she the greatest Blues
singer of her era but she was an
expert dancer, did comedy
routines with equal ease and
professionalism, and was a
superb mime and actress.
Bessie met Jack Gee in
1922, and got her first deal
with Columbia records in
1923. Jack pawned his watch
in order to buy her a dress.
With Clarence Williams on
piano, Bessie recorded “Down
Hearted Blues” and “Gulf
Coast Blues”. She trusted
Clarence. He wrote songs and
played piano for her. But
almost everyone in the music
field or business in those days
was crooked and thus Clarence
Williams was ripping Bessie off.
When she found this out, she
beat him into a bloody pulp.
Bessie jumped him like a man
and with clenched fists she
beat him until the blood
flowed freely. He promised to
give her back all that he had
stolen from her and he did.
Columbia Records promoted
Bessie as “Queen Os The
Blues” and with this title she
continued to do well. She
never forgot her family and
friends. She was a tough
woman but had a heart of gold.
She would bail people out of
jail, pay hospital bills and
things like that. She never
failed to send money home to
her family in tChatanOoga,.
By 1924 the Bluesy “race”
records were wearing out and
W.C. Handy had to sell his now
famous Black Swan label to
Paramount. This didn’t hurt
her because she was still in
demand. She played every
Black chib from one end of the
states to the other. It was
during this time that The
Chicago Defender (A Black
Press) titled her, “Empress of
the Blues.”
While in Chicago she used to
go to Richard Morgan’s Place.
There she partied with people
like “Ma” Rainey, Jelly Roll
Morton, 23 year old Louis
Armstrong and Morgan’s
nephew, Lionel Hampton. Her
success was still soaring and by
1924 she was the highest paid
Black performer in the
country. She leased her own
railroad car, a 78 foot long
bright yellow railroad car
which bore the sign: “Harlem
Frolics”. She did this because
of the many travel problems
that she and her troupe had
with hotels.
In 1929 she made her film
debut, starring in a 17 minute
short written and produced by
W.C. Handy, the title... “St.
Louis Bluest
Bessie’s friend, Richard
Morgan finally fell in love with
her and married her. (They had
been good friends for years)
This was a happy marriage.
Bessie was very busy with
singing engagements and didn’t
get much sleep. Richard did a
lot of gambling, and he too
suffered from the lack of sleep.
They started out early one
morning, both in need of sleep,
driving to her next engagement
when they hit a truck and,
Bessie Smith, “Empress of the
blues”, bled to death from the
See “BLUES” Page 5
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RAW SUGAR CONTACT: 866-4582
FEATURING: KENNY BRAWNER 582-2806
KENNY BRAWNER AND RAW SUGAR
'RAW SUGAR’ Sweetens
You hear the questions alot
in New York City: Have you
heard or seen Kenny Brawner
and Raw Sugar? Or maybe you
were stopped in New Jersey, or
Washington. D.C. with the
same inquiry. Or if you have
been to St. Thomas, Virgin
Islands where the group spent
their Christmas holidays, you’d
find the interest and enthusiam
just as vigorous.
Kenny, a native Augustan, is
the creative “sugar” behind the
sound. Many Augustans will
recognize him as the guy on
many Winston and Viceroy
advertisements.
Kenny leads the group with
his “sugar” sounds,
arrangements and
CARSWELL'S JEWELERS
2748 Peach Orchard Plaza
Augusta, Ga. 30906
(404) 798-1284
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Get to know us; you’ll like us. ———————————
Augustans Future ,
compositions. He graduated
from Howard University and
has done further study at the
Manhattan School of Music. He
has worked as a backup
musician for such notables as
Oscar Brown Jr., George
McCrae and the Voices of East
Harlem.
Everett “Cheese” Brawner,
Kenny’s brother, is the man in
charge of the bass guitar. He
also backs up the group with a
rich bass voice. He has a
bachelor of science degree
from Hampton Institute and a
master’s degree from
Manhattan College. His love for
sports (swimming, basketball,
track) nearly kept him from his
musical destiny, but somehow
a folk singer named Loma
Gayle was able to convince him
to play bass and to sing.
COMPLETE INCOME
TAX SERVICE
FEDERAL & STATE
GA. & S.C.
EXPERT TAX
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1143 DRUID PARK AVE.
PHONE: 736-0739
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
Alfa Anderson, a graduate of
Paine College, has a master’s ■
degree in English from "
Columbia University and
taught at Hunter College
before going head-on into the «
music world. Prior to joining
Raw Sugar, she sang with
Spoonbread at Woodstock,
with Hannibal and the Sunrise I
Orchestra at the Newport Jazz
Festival ‘72, and was in the
musical “Seek And You Shall
Find”, a musical directed by *
Oscar Brown Jr. and Jean Pace.
Other members of the group r
are S. Genevive Sansom a#|
background singer from
Durham, N.C.; Buddy Williams,
drummer and vocalist from
Brooklyn, N.Y. and Jeff •
“Mother” Sigman, lead
guitarist who hales from New
York City. j
»
Able-Disabled
Meeting 1
The Able-Disabled will meet
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 7:30 p.m. at * I
the Georgia War Veterans
Nursing Home, 1101 15th
Street, (Across from Talmadge
Hospital). Mr. Lee Sheridan of v I
WRDW Channel 12 T.V. will I
be the speaker.
fjniernational
formal
(Wear £td.
Across From Walker Ford
1202 Walton Way
724-8438