BL ST 14 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith
Document Summary
Stroll black district with businesses and nightclubs on state street. Chicago was the safest place near new orleans how colored folks can live in them places that close to chicago and not go there danny barker. 100,000 black people in chicago by 1920s black women blues singers. Brought blues out of south and into philadelphia, new york, st. louis, chicago. Formal organization of the blues material in jazz ensembles and to jazz arrangement. Transition figures from blues to formal jazz. Tent shows - diasporic south, traveling bands / shows. Escape being house servant for white woman. Become performer - i am somebody from my career. Dancer, singer, actress who performed both blues and jazz. That thing called love 1920 - first black blues recording. 1913 formed own group, learned from ma rainey. 1925 record with louis armstrong harmonium, trumpet, voice. Endemic to her life, basis of many of bessie"s blues songs.
