Bessie Smith - Mini Bio

Included In These Groups

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  • In this group:
  • Michael Jackson
  • Billie Holiday
  • Jimi Hendrix

  22 others

  Apollo Legends

  Many African-Americans made their name performing at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, including Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. The roster of talented artists who made their careers after a successful amateur night at the Apollo grew so large, that the venue earned a reputation as the place to jump-start the career of an ambitious hopeful. Other performers, like Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson, came to the theater after experiencing big professional success, adding further credibility to the historic New York concert hall. Explore the biographies of some of the more notable African-Americans who stepped out onto the Apollo stage, making entertainment history.

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  Apollo Legends 25 people in this group
  
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  • In this group:
  • Billie Holiday
  • Bessie Smith
  • Ma Rainey

  7 others

  Foremothers of Rock

  In the 1920s, women like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith were the first—and for a while, the only—artists to record the blues. American women of this era made great strides toward gaining equality and basic human rights for themselves and others in society, including attaining the right to vote and working toward social justice. The 20th century was a wide-open opportunity for women to embrace the modern world, outside of the traditional bounds of the home.

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  Foremothers of Rock 10 people in this group
  
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  • In this group:
  • Whitney Houston
  • Michael Jackson
  • Oprah Winfrey

  142 others

  Famous Black Entertainers

  Browse notable black entertainers such as Michael Jackson, Eddie Murphy, and Oprah Winfrey.

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  Famous Black Entertainers 145 people in this group
  

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