thu 14 sep 2017 01:00 hrs
The Empress of the Blues Bessie Smith (1894-1937) died 80 years ago in September from the injuries of a car crash. After her death, an often repeated but now discredited story emerged that she had died as a result of having been refused admission to a whites-only hospital in Clarksdale. Today an in memoriam with a selection of her recordings.
Bessie Smith: Empty Bed Blues (CBS 66273)
