KnowraBessie SmithLinked fromLinked fromThe 10 pages that link to Bessie Smith, each with the reason it gives.All 10Related 8Compared with 2BluesRelated: Her recordings became defining examples of classic blues singing.Great MigrationRelated: Her music belongs to the expanding Black cultural world of cities transformed by migration.Race recordsRelated: Her records were central to the blues repertoire marketed through race-record catalogs.Billie HolidayRelated: Smith’s blues phrasing was among the vocal models Holiday admired.Cab CallowayRelated: Smith’s blues phrasing and commanding performance offer a useful comparison to Calloway’s vocal style.Janis JoplinRelated: Joplin admired Smith and helped fund a headstone for her grave.W. C. HandyRelated: Her recording of “St. Louis Blues” carried Handy’s composition to a vast audience.Ma RaineyRelated: Smith toured with Rainey early in her career and became her most famous blues successor.Ethel WatersCompared with: Smith and Waters were leading blues singers whose distinct vocal styles shaped the same recording era.Marion HarrisCompared with: Smith’s career shows the parallel growth of blues recording centered on Black performers.