Bessie Brown (1890–1955) also known as "The Original" Bessie Brown, was an American classic female blues,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, and cabaret singer. She sometimes recorded under the pseudonyms Sadie Green, Caroline Lee, and possibly Helen Richards. Brown was active as a recording artist from 1925 to 1929. She should not be confused (although often is in biographies and discographies) with the

Bessie Brown Bessie Brown (1890–1955) also known as "The Original" Bessie Brown, was an American classic female blues, jazz, and cabaret singer. She sometimes recorded under the pseudonyms Sadie Green, Caroline Lee, and possibly Helen Richards. Brown was ...

who recorded

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and blues-styled

duets A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers. Duets or The Duets may also refer to: Films and television * ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis * "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episod ...

with George W. Williams, over a similar timespan.

Life and career

Brown was born in

Marysville, Ohio Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Ohio, United States, approximately 27 miles (44 km) northwest of Columbus. The population was 22,094 at the 2010 census, a 38.59% increase from 2000. Marysville's longtime slog ...

. She recorded between November 10, 1925, and April 1, 1929. In her concurrent

career, she sometimes performed as a male impersonator. She also appeared in revues, including ''Moonshine Revue'', ''The Whirl of Joy'' and ''Dark-Town Frolics'', and on the stage as a cabaret performer, primarily on the

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

. 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 that of

Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was an American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertaine ...

. On her recordings Brown was backed by some of the best

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

-based musicians of the time, including Thomas Morris and Rex Stewart (

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

);

Charlie Irvis Charlie Irvis (May 6, 1899 – 1939) was an American jazz trombonist, best known for performing in Duke Ellington's band. Career Irvis played with Bubber Miley in his youth and then with blues singer Lucille Hegamin and her Blue Flame Syncopato ...

and Charlie Green (

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

); Coleman Hawkins and

Buster Bailey William C. "Buster" Bailey (July 19, 1902 – April 12, 1967) was an American jazz clarinetist. Career history Early career Buster Bailey was taught clarinet by classical teacher Franz Schoepp, who also taught Benny Goodman. Bailey gained his s ...

(saxophone);

Buddy Christian Narcisse J. "Buddy" Christian (1895? - 1958?) was an American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and pianist. Christian worked professionally as a pianist starting in the early 1910s. He played in New Orleans with Peter Bocage in 1912-1913 and with King ...

and

Clarence Holiday Clarence Halliday (Baltimore, July 23, 1898 – Dallas, March 1, 1937), also known as Clarence Holiday, was an American musician. He was the father of the singer Billie Holiday. Early life In Baltimore he attended a boys' school with the banjo pl ...

(

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

); and Porter Grainger, Clarence Williams and

Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musi ...

(piano). She left the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

in 1932 and married Clarence Shaw in the early 1930s. She had one child, Helen Smith Mcreynolds, from her first marriage. She died of a heart attack in 1955. The bulk of her known recorded work was issued as a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, ''Complete Recorded Works (1925–29)'', by

Document Records Document Records is an independent record label, founded in Austria and now based in Scotland, that specializes in reissuing vintage blues and jazz. The company has been recognised by The Blues Foundation, being honoured with a Keeping the ...

in 1996. The album also includes four October 1929 recordings by the unrelated comedian Eliza "Liza" Brown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Bessie 1890 births 1955 deaths Musicians from Cleveland 20th-century African-American women singers American blues singers American jazz singers American women jazz singers Classic female blues singers People from Marysville, Ohio 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Jazz musicians from Ohio