Early Years

   

Bessie Smith & her family

 Bessie smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee  on April 15,1894 to Laura and William Smith whom both died when she was very young. She and her siblings were raised by her older sister Viola and to do her part for her family she and her brother, Andrew, began busking as a duet. She sang and danced while he played guitar. Their favorite place to perform was in front of White Elephant Saloon which was in the center of the African American community.
     In 1912 Smith oldest brother came back and helped her get a audition for the Stokes Troupe he worked with.  She got the job, not as a singer but as a dancer.
    On June 7, 1923 she fell in love and married a security guard named Jack Gee. Because she just started her recording career with Colombia Records, it made their marriage difficult and it fell apart. They separated but did not get divorced. So she lived with a old friend named Richard Morgan and spent they rest of their lives together.