Bessie Smith

Known for: Acting

Born: April 14, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA - Died: September 25, 1937

Bessie Smith was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on fellow blues singers, as well as jazz vocalists.