D.O.D.-September 26, 1937 in Clarksdale, Mississippi
Bessie Smith was a singer who was nicknamed "Empress of the Blues" because of her outstanding career in music. She was one of seven children and her mother died in 1906 while her dad died after her birth. In 1912, Bessie performed as a dancer and dinger in the Moses Stokes Minstrel Show and the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. Then in 1923, she was discovered by a representative from Columbia Records, which led her to become a successful recording artist. As her career went on it began to flounder due to the Great Depression, her alcoholism, and her divorce from husband Jack Gee. Through her life she was influenced by her interactions with other jazz performers and her culture and memories of the South.
Duke Ellington
D.O.B.- April 29,1899 in Washington D.C.
D.O.D.- May 24, 1974 in New York, New York
Duke Ellington lived in a middle-class neighborhood with his very talented, musical parents. He became and songwriter, conductor, and a pianist. At the age of seven he studied piano and was nicknamed "Duke" because of his gentlemanly ways. He attended Armstrong Technical High School and then started to perform in Broadway night clubs. Duke was a bandleader of a sextet, which eventually became a ten instrument ensemble. Over time he died of lung cancer and pneumonia. He was inspired by stand-out rhythms and melodies by unique musicians. Even after his death he received twelve Grammy Awards from 1959 to 2000.