Broadcast: June 25, 2017 at 4pm.
No blues singer can escape the influence of Bessie Smith, "The Empress of the Blues." For over 100 years, this legendary singer has been and continues to be a major influence on singers and instrumentalists of today. She was larger than life, inexhaustibly creative, and undeniably distinctive. Her legacies of songs speak to everybody; she gave the music its raw, regal poignancy--and marketability.
From NPR Music.