Chapter 7 talks about Bessie Smith. The “Louis Armstrong of the Blues singers”, and tells how she was one of the most amazing blues singers of all time.

I really liked how detailed this chapter was when describing Bessie to the perspective audience. From the way Bessie is first described, she sounds like a loser. She is described as young, yet big, fat and awful. This sounds like anything BUT what a singer should look like. However, I guess when anyone is as good as Bessie was, looks don’t really matter.

I thought it was very cool how she was described as so great to watch as well, regardless of her looks. I have had a similar experience before, so I am able to relate to this feeling. As soon as someone with a lot of singing talent (or any spectacular talent for that matter) opens their mouth and you hear that sweet, natural sound come out, it’s almost as if you’d just rather close your eyes and let yourself sink deep into that beautiful noise, rather than care about what the singer looks like. In the late 1800’s- early 1900’s Bessie’s color is what would of mattered most to the majority or the audience. However, maybe once she started to sing, they forgot she was a large black woman, only thinking of the beautiful music she was making and wishing it wouldn’t stop.

I thought it was interesting as well that no one told her what to do. She kind of just did whatever she was feeling. When you have that sort of talent, you don’t really have to listen to anyone…because whatever you’ve got, is what the audience is looking for. Nothing more, and nothing less.