Anne Bushnell
Irish blues and jazz singer
Category Archives: Music > Blues
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Esther Bigeou
American vaudeville star
Gladys Bentley
American blues singer, pianist, and entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance.
Ottilie Patterson
Irish blues and jazz singer
Bessie Smith
Acknowledged as one of the greatest blues singers of the twentieth century, Bessie Smith reigned as the “Empress of the Blues” throughout most of the 1920s.
Ma Rainey
Often called the “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey was known for her deep-throated voice and mesmerizing stage presence that drew packed audiences and sold hit records in the early twentieth century. Also a songwriter, her lyrics and melodies reflected her experiences as an independent, openly bisexual African-American woman.
Alberta Hunter
Alberta Hunter was an American jazz and blues singer and songwriter from the 1910s to the late 1950s, who returned to singing in her 80s after 20 years working as a nurse.