{"product_id":"bessie-smith-a-poets-biography-of-a-blues-legend","title":"Bessie Smith: A Poet's Biography of a Blues Legend  - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eAuthor: Kay, Jackie\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormat: Paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished: 09\/28\/2021 Vintage\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eA beautiful genre-bending tribute to the larger-than-life blues singer Bessie Smith.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eScotland’s National Poet blends poetry, prose, fiction, and nonfiction to create an entirely unique biography of the Empress of the Blues.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere has never been anyone else like Bessie Smith. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1894 and orphaned by the age of nine, Bessie Smith sang on street corners before becoming a big name in traveling shows. In 1923, she made her first recording for the newly founded Columbia Records. It sold 780,000 copies and catapulted her to fame. Known for her unmatched vocal talent, her timeless and personal blues narratives, her tough persona, and her ability to enrapture audiences with her raw voice, the Empress of the Blues remains a force and an enigma.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn this remarkable book, Kay combines history and personal narrative, poetry and prose to create an enthralling account of an extraordinary life, and to capture the soul of the woman she first identified with as a young Black girl growing up in Glasgow. Powerful and moving, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eBessie Smith\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is at once a vivid biography of a central figure in American music history and a personal story about one woman’s search for recognition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39546897563703,"sku":"9780593314272","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0086\/6218\/8087\/products\/new-book-bessie-smith-a-poet-s-biography-of-a-blues-legend-29208551915575.jpg?v=1677663451","url":"https:\/\/hivoltagerecords.com\/products\/bessie-smith-a-poets-biography-of-a-blues-legend","provider":"Hi-Voltage Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}