Bessie Brown
Encyclopedia
Bessie Brown also known as "The Original" Bessie Brown, was an American
classic female blues
, jazz
, and cabaret singer. She sometimes recorded under the pseudonym
s of Sadie Green, Caroline Lee, and possibly Helen Richards. Brown was active as a recording artist from 1925 to 1929. Her best known tracks were "Ain't Much Good in the Best of Men Nowdays" and "Song from a Cotton Field".
She should not be confused (although often is in both biographies and discographies) with her namesake, Bessie Brown, who recorded vaudeville
and blues styled duets
with George W. Williams, over a similar timespan.
, United States
. She recorded between the dates of November 10, 1925 and April 1, 1929. Her concurrent vaudeville
career, saw her appear sometimes as a male impersonator. She also appeared in revue
s including Moonshine Revue, The Whirl Of Joy and Dark-Town Frolics. In addition, Brown took to the stage as a cabaret performer, primarily on the East Coast
. On her recordings she sang in a deepened tone, without any notable African American
dialect. Thus, to more than one commentator, her style was similar to Sophie Tucker
.
Her recordings saw Brown backed by some of the best Harlem
based musicians of the time. These included Thomas Morris
and Rex Stewart
(cornet
); Charlie Irvis
and Charlie Green (trombone
); Coleman Hawkins
and Buster Bailey
(saxophone
); Buddy Christian and Clarence Holiday
(banjo
); plus Porter Grainger
, Clarence Williams and Fletcher Henderson
(piano
).
She left the music industry in 1932, and married Clarence Shaw in the early 1930s. She had three children, before dying of a heart attack
in 1955.
The bulk of her known recorded work, Complete Recorded Works (1925-29), was made available in 1996 by Document Records
. Somewhat confusingly, the compilation album
also included four October 1929 recordings by the unrelated comedienne, Eliza "Liza" Brown.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
classic female blues
Classic female blues
Classic female blues was an early form of blues music, popular in the 1920s. An amalgam of traditional folk blues and urban theater music, the style is also known as vaudeville blues. Classic blues were performed by female vocalists accompanied by pianists or small jazz ensembles, and were the...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and cabaret singer. She sometimes recorded under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s of Sadie Green, Caroline Lee, and possibly Helen Richards. Brown was active as a recording artist from 1925 to 1929. Her best known tracks were "Ain't Much Good in the Best of Men Nowdays" and "Song from a Cotton Field".
She should not be confused (although often is in both biographies and discographies) with her namesake, Bessie Brown, who recorded vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and blues styled duets
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with George W. Williams, over a similar timespan.
Life and career
Brown was born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She recorded between the dates of November 10, 1925 and April 1, 1929. Her concurrent vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
career, saw her appear sometimes as a male impersonator. She also appeared in revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
s including Moonshine Revue, The Whirl Of Joy and Dark-Town Frolics. In addition, Brown took to the stage as a cabaret performer, primarily on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. On her recordings she sang in a deepened tone, without any notable African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
dialect. Thus, to more than one commentator, her style was similar to Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker was a Russian/Ukrainian-born American singer and actress. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century...
.
Her recordings saw Brown backed by some of the best Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
based musicians of the time. These included Thomas Morris
Thomas Morris (musician)
Thomas Morris was an American jazz cornetist. Born in New York in 1898, jazz critic Scott Yanow noted that Morris's primitive style was "an excellent example of how New York brass players sounded before the rise of Louis Armstrong." Morris' many recordings include dates with Clarence Williams,...
and Rex Stewart
Rex Stewart
Rex Stewart was an American jazz cornetist best known for his work with the Duke Ellington orchestra....
(cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
); Charlie Irvis
Charlie Irvis
Charlie Irvis was an American jazz trombonist, best known for performing in Duke Ellington's band.Irvis played with Bubber Miley in his youth and then with blues singer Lucille Hegamin in the "Blue Flame Syncopators" from 1920 to 1921...
and Charlie Green (trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
); Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
and Buster Bailey
Buster Bailey
William C. "Buster" Bailey was a jazz musician specializing in the clarinet, but also well versed on saxophone...
(saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
); Buddy Christian and Clarence Holiday
Clarence Holiday
Clarence Halliday is an American musician and the probable father of singer, Billie Holiday.-Early life:...
(banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
); plus Porter Grainger
Porter Grainger
Porter Grainger was an African-American pianist, songwriter, playwright, and music publisher.-Biography:...
, Clarence Williams and Fletcher Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...
(piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
).
She left the music industry in 1932, and married Clarence Shaw in the early 1930s. She had three children, before dying of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1955.
The bulk of her known recorded work, Complete Recorded Works (1925-29), was made available in 1996 by Document Records
Document Records
Document Records is a British record label that specializes in early American blues, bluegrass, gospel, spirituals jazz, and other rural American genres , generally made between 1900 and 1945...
. Somewhat confusingly, the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
also included four October 1929 recordings by the unrelated comedienne, Eliza "Liza" Brown.