Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay (Omnibus)
The tempestuous life story of the Empress of the Blues. Read by Jackie Kay, who reflects on her impact. With Adjoa Andoh.
Jackie Kay reflects on her love of blues singer Bessie Smith.
She explores the life of the Empress of the Blues and considers the effect the icon had on her as she grew up as a black girl adopted by white parents.
Orphaned by the age of nine, Bessie Smith sang on the street to support her siblings and was swept into travelling shows as a young woman. Facing extreme racial prejudice, she brawled under the influence of bathtub gin and had tumultuous love affairs with men and women. She also sold hundreds of thousands of records and became a genuine superstar.
Mixing biography, fiction, music and memoir, Jackie Kay remembers the electric thrill of identification when, as a young black girl growing up in Glasgow, she was first heard the music of the Empres
Written and read by Jackie Kay.
Omnibus of five episodes abridged by Rosemary Goring.
With Adjoa Andoh
From 2016 to 2021, Jackie Kay was the Makar - Scotland's poet laureate.
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
First broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio 4 in February 2021.
Last on
Broadcasts
- Sun 24 Nov 2024 07:30大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
- Sun 24 Nov 2024 12:30大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
- Sun 24 Nov 2024 18:30大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra
- Mon 25 Nov 2024 02:30大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra