Mamie Smith

Mamie Smith was just a child when she began her artistic career as a dancer in the Four Mitchells troupe. A few years later, she took part in New York nightlife, this time as a singer. In addition to the revues that brought African-American culture to the concert halls, Mamie Smith also made jazz history with a session that gave birth to the first vocal blues album recorded in the early '20s. That same year, with the help of Perry Bradford, she gave the blues its first major recording successes. The first grande dame of the blues went on to record with Sidney Bechet, Clarence Williams, Buddy Christian, Willie Smith, Andy Kirk and others. After numerous musical successes in the 20s and 30s, and several film appearances, Mamie Smith was struck by health and financial problems in the early 40s. After a few prestigious concerts, she died in 1946, leaving behind a fundamental legacy that would serve as a model for most of the great blues singers who followed her.