Mamie Smith made history when in 1920 she became the first African American singer to make a record of a Blues song, “Crazy Blues.” The record became a massive hit, changing the record industry and launching a new era of “race records” aimed at black listeners.

Who was the first female superstar in blues?

Mamie Smith (née Robinson; May 26, 1891 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist, and actress. As a vaudeville singer she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues history as the first African American artist to make vocal blues recordings.

What audience was Mamie Smith’s music targeted at?

class African Americans

Smith’s primary audience comprised Southern working-class African Americans who connected with the content, feel and pace of her music, and it was likely that they were already familiar with the form.

Which singer made the first blues recording?

The first hit blues recordings were instrumental renditions of the W.C. Handy composition, “Memphis Blues,” by Prince’s Orchestra (Columbia) and the Victor Military Band (directed by Walter Rogers), both of which were released in the fall of 1914.

What instrument did Mamie Smith play?

Mamie Smith (née Robinson) (May 26, 1891 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist and actress, who appeared in several films late in her career. As a vaudeville singer she performed a number of styles including jazz and blues.
 

Who is the queen of blues music?

Born in 1924 as Ruth Lee Jones, she took the stage name Dinah Washington and was later known as the “Queen of the Blues.” She began with singing gospel music in Chicago and was later famous for her ability to sing any style music with a brilliant sense of tim- ing and drama and perfect enun- ciation.

Who was the godfather of blues?

William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States.

How did Mamie Smith change the world?

Mamie Smith made history when in 1920 she became the first African American singer to make a record of a Blues song, “Crazy Blues.” The record became a massive hit, changing the record industry and launching a new era of “race records” aimed at black listeners.

How did Mamie Smith influence the blues?

In 1920, Smith gave a voice to Black female singers by becoming the first African American woman to make a blues recording. The record became a smash hit in Black communities across the country, revolutionizing the blues genre and opening the doors of popular music to Black female artists.
 

Who was the first woman in the music industry?

The first female engineers working in music were ethnomusicologists. These included Alice Cunningham Fletcher, who was one of the first women in her field and recorded the music of Native American tribes in 1895 – some of her recordings are in the Library of Congress.
 

Who was the first female singer to sing the blues?

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (1886–1939), known as “The Mother of the Blues”, is credited as the first to perform the blues on stage as popular entertainment when she began incorporating blues into her act of show songs and comedy around 1902.

Who was the first country blues star?

Artists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson (Texas), Charley Patton (Mississippi), Blind Willie McTell (Georgia) were among the first to record blues songs in the 1920s. Country blues ran parallel to urban blues, which was popular in cities.

Who was the first major blues artist to play in England who in 1958 shocked the British audience by playing electric blues?

Muddy Waters

It was a seminal moment in British rock and blues history when Muddy Waters first toured in 1958, but not because his “screaming” electric guitar horrified the staid, malnourished audience.

Who was the first major female movie star?

1920s: Mary Pickford, Hollywood’s first major movie star, becomes the highest paid performer in the industry. She later becomes one of the most powerful show-business executives of the time.

Who is the greatest female star of all time?

The Top Ten: American Film Institute’s Greatest Female Screen Legends

Rank	Actress
1.	Katharine Hepburn
2.	Bette Davis
3.	Audrey Hepburn
4.	Ingrid Bergman

Who was the first female actor to win an Oscar?

Janet Gaynor

Janet Gaynor was born Laura Augusta Gainor October 6, 1906 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but grew up in San Francisco, California. Later moving to Los Angeles, California, she is fondly remembered as the a popular Hollywood actress during the silent film era.