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Bessie Smith
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Bessie Smith Article

How did Bessie Smith become famous?

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About 1913 Smith toured with Ma Rainey, one of the first of the great blues singers, and afterward traveled through the South singing in tent shows and bars and theatres. In February 1923 she made her first recordings, including the classic “Down Hearted Blues,” which became an enormous success, selling more than two million copies. 

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