I’d like to begin this first blog by talking about chapter 7 in the reader that we were assigned. Ever since I was little, it has been my dream to sing with a voice like that of Bessie Smith- the rough, passionate, soulful timbre that never tired. She didn’t follow any criteria that others had predetermined. She wasn’t white, she wasn’t skinny, she wasn’t rich. But as soon as she started singing, there was definitely something to talk about. I loved reading about her recording experiences, how there was no practicing, and none of the music was written down. As it was said by Buster Bailey, “We didn’t have any rehearsals for Bessie’s records. … The singers might have something written out to remind them what the verse was but there was no music written on it.” No wonder everyone was enthralled with her music. It came directly from the soul so that all listeners could feel her blues. One thing that surprised me, though, was the frankness of her lyrics. In the early 20th century, sex was alluded to but was never mentioned outright. In Smith’s song “Empty Bed Blues”, Smith referred to sex using the terms “coffee grinder”, “deep sea diver”, and just flat-out saying it. It is such a shame that Smith had to die the way she did. Had the ambulance not gone to the white hospital and had gone to the hospital it was assigned to, Smith’s life may have been spared. Even still, her legacy lives on as the first true blues singer to be recorded and has set a goal for all blues performers since then.