Feb 28, 2025 · Thornetta Davis, the 61-year-old singer-songwriter known as "Detroit's Queen of the Blues" and a 10-time Blues Music Award nominee, brought Bessie Smith, a Blues singer from the Harlem Renaissance ...

Feb 28, 2025 · Voices honoring female jazz and blues legends Billie Holiday, Phyllis Hyman, Nancy Wilson and Bessie Smith drifted through Aretha's Jazz Café, in Detroit's Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, on Monday, transporting guests to another time.. Adorned with feathered headpieces, strings of pearls, bright lipstick and custom-made wigs and satin dresses, flecked with jewels and gems, Detroit ...

The iconic voices of female jazz & blues legends Billie Holiday, Phyllis Hyman, Nancy Wilson and Bessie Smith were honored at Aretha’s Jazz Café in Detroit for Black History Month Subscribe to our newsletter »

This special event features the remarkable Thornetta Davis, an artist whose powerful voice and dynamic stage presence make her a fitting homage to Smith's enduring legacy. About Bessie SmithBessie Smith (1894–1937) was an American blues singer who rose to fame in the 1920s and became one of the highest-paid black entertainers of her time.

The Preservation of Jazz Monday Night Music Series Tributes proudly presents a Bessie Smith Birthday Celebration, honoring the legendary Empress of the Blues with a powerful tribute by Detroit’s ...

Thornetta Davis, also known as "Detroit's Queen of Blues," performed as Bessie Smith for Sky Covington's "Satin Doll Revue," produced by Covington, a jazz vocalist and Preservation of Jazz...

Miche Braden (born November 14, 1953) is a jazz singer and theatrical performer known for her on-stage portrayals of Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. [1] [2] Braden, who is originally from Detroit, originated the Bessie Smith role and has been performing it since 2000 in The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith.

Sep 8, 2022 · Bessie Smith is a legend. She was one of the leading voices in Blues music during the 1920s. Furthermore, she earned $2,00 a week performing some of her major hits such as “Downhearted Blues” and “St. Louis Blues.” Therefore, she was the highest paid black female artist during the rise of the blues.

Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age.Nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s.Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, she is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a …

Jun 5, 2024 · Bessie Smith was called the Empress of the Blues, but she was also the highest paid African American entertainer of her generation. We’ll explore the life and times of Bessie Smith from her early days performing on Chattanooga street corners and her travels on the TOBA circuit to her decade as a top selling recording artist.