Bessie Smith: A Crazy Singer Long Before Rihanna
by Debra Devi
What hugely popular female singer beat a rival unconscious, slept with her musical director, seduced her female backup dancers (driving one of them to attempt suicide), had drag queens following her on tour, frequented live sex shows and orgies, and mortified New York society by telling a wealthy fan to “get the fuck away from me” during a private gig at the fan’s swank Fifth Avenue apartment?
If you guessed “Courtney Love,” you’ve watched too much VH1 Behind the Music. I’m talking about 1920s blues singer Bessie Smith, and the hot dish I uncovered about her X-rated, rockstar exploits while researching the term “buffet flat” for “The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu.”
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