1. MAMIE SMITH

2. BACKGROUND STORY
Mamie Smith was born in 1883 in
Cincinnati Ohio, originally a dancer
who joined a troupe called the Four
Dancing Mitchells.
By 1910, she was touring the Midwest
and the East coast with the Smart Set
Company.
She eventually met and married singer
William “Smitty” Smith in 1912 and
they moved to New York where by 1918
she made her first major debut in Perry
Bradford’s musical “Made in Harlem.”
She continued her singing career and
joined a band called the Jazz Hounds
and slowly paved the way for Jazz to
become a popular song form as well.

3. SIGNIFICANCE IN THE BLUES
Smith was the first black female singer to record a vocal blues and
thereby set the stage for other blues singers like Bessie Smith to do the
same.
Her song was “Crazy Blues” recorded August 10, 1920 and it sold a
million copies within its first six months of release and was extremely
popular amongst African Americans.

4. BLUES AS RHETORIC
Smith’ssongs are considered classic blues in regards to the content used.
She grieves over her problems as is customary of the blues genre and
gives a voice to some of the problems many black women faced,
particularly in regards to their relationships with men.
Her song doesn’t just give a clear indication of grief and the ability to
speak out about it but she also decides that she isn’t just going to take
everything lying down.

5. LEGACY
Due to the massive sales of her songs,
particularly “Crazy Blues,” she became famous
and wealthy.
Her song “Crazy Blues” is considered to be such
an important cornerstone of history that is was
inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in
1994.
In 2005, “Crazy Blues” was also placed in the
National Recording Registry at the Library of
Congress to be preserved permanently.
Her song and her work provided the
groundwork necessary for other blues singers
and for other African American singers
everywhere. As Angela Davis puts it: “The
recording of 'Crazy Blues' led the way for the
professionalization of black music, for the black
entertainment industry, and indeed for the
immense popularity of black music today."