Bessie Smith

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Bessie Smith: Nobody Knows When You’re Down and Out. An analysis of Bessie Smith’s Blues version of “Nobody knows when you’re down and out”, recorded in 1929 revealed the painful reality of fame and wealth. Unbeknownst to her, this recording would contribute immensely to the blues era, making it one of her most notable recordings. Bessie Smith was born April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is considered to be one of the best blues singers who ever lived, she helped transform blues music from a regional African American pastime into a national musical art form that would influence all into a national musical art form that would influence all other forms of American music throughout the twentieth century. Throughout her career…show more content…
It’s the story of a former millionaire during the prohibition that discovers when your money is low, your friends are few. The song was originally recorded in 1927 by a Blues singer Bobby Leecan, however the song title was changed to “Nobody needs you when you’re down and out”. In September 1929 “Nobody knows when you’re down and out” would become an international hit, sung by Ms. Bessie…show more content…
Shortly after the release of her recoding, the United States would soon be singing the same tune. The New York stock exchange crashed on October 29, 1929, leaving families without a life savings and businesses were forced to close. The Great Depression or what others referred to as “Black Tuesday” had effected millions of people inside and outside of the United States of America. Record sales began to plunge and shows were cancelled. The song was well received and played over radio stations, unfortunately Billboard Magazine did not track race records at that time. Had they tracked the song it may have been number one on the billboard charts. Nobody knows when you’re down and out was and still is a very popular record. It has been recorded by a number of artist in different genres in over the past eighty years. Artist such as Count Bassie, Janice Joplin, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Eric Clapton, and Rod Stewart, just to name a
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