Mothers and Empresses: The Classic Blues Women

Ma Rainey's tent shows, Bessie Smith's only film, the queens who cut first and outsold everyone. The women the 'birth of the blues' story keeps forgetting.

Playlist by @birth_of_the_blues

12 tracks, shared on Audicious.

1. Wild Women Don't Have the Blues — California Newsreel
2. ST. LOUIS BLUES. Blues Legend Bessie Smith's only film appearance. Uncut 1929 — Default Name
3. Bessie Smith - St.Louis Blues (1929) — vintage video clips
4. Bessie Smith: Greatest Female Blues Singer | Mini Bio | BIO — Biography
5. Ma Rainey - Singer | Mini Bio | BIO — Biography
6. The Amazing True Story Behind Ma Rainey's Black Bottom — MsMojo
7. The True Story Behind Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Netflix — Still Watching Netflix
8. Against The Odds - The Story of Bessie Smith (1983) #HappyBirthdayBessieSmith — Reelblack One
9. Ma Rainey (Biography) | Wild Women of Song — BluesIsAWoman
10. Bessie Smith | Empress Of The Blues (Biography) — Onyx Queen Channel
11. Ma Rainey | The Extraordinary Life of the Mother of Blues (Biography) — Onyx Queen Channel
12. History Documentary: Bessie Smith — Chris McNutt