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and chose to mentor her. Smith is accredited for giving Baker her start in the recording business, having hired Baker when aged 13 as her dresser. Smith and Baker are thought to have had a romantic relationship for a time, notably being referred to as "lady lovers" by a colleague.
150:, South Carolina. She is not believed to have any siblings. She never was enrolled in school but was recorded on the census as able to read and write. Blues historians thinks that Smith most likely was introduced in her youth to "traveling
208:". Smith cut 122 sides, all with Columbia Records, with her record sales being topped only by Bessie Smith. Clara Smith was known across the U.S., even performing on the West Coast, which was rare for a blues singer.
204:'s "Troublesome Blues" in 1927. Initially a singer of depressing ballads, she later began recording more uptempo numbers. Her May 1926 recording of "Whip It to a Jelly" was noted as "one of the more overt
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In 1933, she was on the road in
Detroit, Michigan and worked at theaters in revues there until she succumbed to heart disease in February 1935, a month short of her 41st birthday.
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circuit across
Southern states. By 1923, she had performed at major theatres of the time such as the Lyric in New Orleans, the Dream Theatre in Columbus, Georgia, the
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singer, billed as the "Queen of the
Moaners", although she had a lighter and sweeter voice than many of her contemporaries. Clara Smith was not related to the singers
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200:, and Don Redman. She recorded two duets with Bessie Smith: "My Man Blues" and "Far Away Blues" (Columbia 14098-D), on September 1, 1925. She recorded
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165:
In 1910, Smith began working on
African-American theater circuits, in tent shows, and vaudeville. By 1918, she was appearing as a headliner with the
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there. She was then signed to a recording contract, and the same year she made the first of her commercially successful series of
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273:"Freight Train Blues" / "Done Sold My Soul to the Devil (And My Heart's Done Turned to Stone)" (1924)
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228:"I Never Miss the Sunshine (I'm So Used to the Rain)" / "Awful Moanin' Blues" (1923) with
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315:"Cheatin' Daddy" / "You Don't Know Who's Shakin' Your Tree" (1927) with Her Jazz Babies
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The Online
Discographical Project: Columbia A3500–A4001 (1921–1923) Numerical Listing
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154:", that frequently stopped in Spartanburg and sparked her interest in performance.
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282:"The Market Street Blues" / "It Takes the Lawd (To Tell What's on My Mind)" (1925)
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291:"Nobody's Blues but Mine" / "My Man Blues" (1925) with Bessie Smith and Her Band
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306:"That's Why The Undertakers Are Busy Today" / "Black Woman's Blues" (1927)
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330:"It's Tight Like That" / "Daddy Don't Put That Thing on Me Blues" (1929)
300:"Ain't Nothin' Cookin' What You're Smellin'" / "Separation Blues" (1926)
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288:"Nobody Knows the Way I Feel Dis Mornin'" / "If You Only Knowed" (1925)
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321:"Jelly Look What You Done Done" / "It's All Coming Home to You" (1928)
261:"San Francisco Blues" / "Chain Gang Blues" (1924) with George Williams
255:"I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" / "You Don't Know My Mind" (1924)
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706:"The Queer Moan of Clara Smith: On Queer Aphasia in Blues Studies"
249:"Far Away Blues" / "I'm Going Back to My Used to Be" (1923) with
246:"Don't Never Tell Nobody" / "Waitin' for the Evenin' Mail" (1923)
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in
Nashville, and the Booker T. Washington Theatre in St. Louis.
339:"Ol' Sam Tages" / "Unemployed Papa-Charity Workin' Mama" (1931)
234:"I Got Everything A Woman Needs" / "Every Woman's Blues" (1923)
615:"Smith, Clara - Discography of American Historical Recordings"
559:
Biographical
Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians
333:"Papa I Don't Need You Now" / "Tired of the Way You Do" (1929)
318:"Wanna Go Home" / "Ain't Got Nobody to Grind My Coffee" (1928)
264:"Good Looking Papa Blues" / "Don't Advertise Your Man" (1924)
240:"All Night Blues" / "Play It (Do It a Long Time Papa)" (1923)
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Clara Smith was born to parents Selena and
William Smith in
126:(March 13, 1894 – February 2, 1935) was an American
237:"Irresistible Blues" / "I Want My Sweet Daddy Now" (1923)
258:"Mean Papa Turn in Your Key" / "Back Woods Blues" (1924)
276:"West Indies Blues" / "The Clearing House Blues" (1924)
327:"Gin Mill Blues" / "Got My Mind on That Thing" (1929)
324:"Steamboat Man Blues" / "Sobbin' Sister Blues" (1928)
285:"My Good for Nuthin' Man" / "When I Steps Out" (1925)
270:"The Basement Blues" / "Mama's Gone, Good Bye" (1924)
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In 1923, she settled in New York City, appearing at
312:"Troublesome Blues" / "You Can't Get It Now" (1927)
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354:"Frosty Mornin' Blues" / "Easy Come Easy Go Blues"
294:"Court House Blues" / "The L & N Blues" (1926)
279:"He's Mine, All Mine" / "Steel Drivin' Sam" (1925)
267:"Kansas City Man Blues" / "Uncle Sam Blues" (1924)
765:Biography and Discography in Red Hot Jazz Archive
345:"Broken Busted Blues" / "Court House Blues" with
336:"Oh! Mister Mitchell" / "Where Is My Man" (1930)
243:"Kind Lovin' Blues" / "Down South Blues" (1923)
774:Discography of American Historical Recordings
517:The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray
297:"How'm I Doin'" / "Whip It to a Jelly" (1926)
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211:During her time performing, Smith met young
192:, working with many other musicians such as
825:20th-century African-American women singers
820:Musicians from Spartanburg, South Carolina
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652:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J415300
116:Not to be confused with the mistress of
451:Queer and Moaning: Queen of the Moaners
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303:"Livin' Humble" / "Get on Board" (1927)
309:"Ease It" / "Percolatin' Blues" (1927)
477:"Clara Smith: 'Queen of the Moaners'"
351:"Shipwrecked Blues" / "My John Blues"
7:
760:Gravemarker at Deadbluesguys website
539:Abrams, Steven; Settlemier, Tyrone.
519:. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 12.
502:New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, Vol. 3
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378:List of classic female blues singers
830:20th-century American women singers
342:"For Sale" / "You Dirty Dog" (1931)
383:List of vaudeville performers: L-Z
167:Theater Owners Booking Association
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589:"Tom Delaney: Artist Biography"
410:"Clara Smith: Artist Biography"
37:, South Carolina, United States
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835:20th-century American singers
545:. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
815:Classic female blues singers
785:Open Music Archive - Browse
710:The Activist History Review
851:
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52:February 2, 1935 (aged 40)
555:Southern, Eileen (1982).
504:. Macmillan. p. 608.
500:Kernfield, Barry (1988).
57:, Michigan, United States
445:Caitlin, Rimmer (2019).
682:"Clara & Josephine"
368:List of blues musicians
810:American blues singers
770:Clara Smith recordings
515:Russell, Tony (1997).
186:gramophone recordings
638:Rye, Howard (2003).
619:adp.library.ucsb.edu
373:Classic female blues
128:classic female blues
66:Classic female blues
563:. Greenwood Press.
686:Oxfordamerican.org
644:Grove Music Online
585:Chadbourne, Eugene
459:10.17615/V53Z-Y093
230:Fletcher Henderson
194:Fletcher Henderson
148:Spartanburg County
35:Spartanburg County
661:978-1-56159-263-0
118:Jake L. Hamon Sr.
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251:Bessie Smith
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206:sexual blues
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132:Bessie Smith
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93:Years active
805:1935 deaths
800:1894 births
780:Clara Smith
223:Discography
202:Tom Delaney
182:speakeasies
136:Mamie Smith
124:Clara Smith
23:Clara Smith
794:Categories
716:2021-02-18
691:2021-02-18
667:2021-03-06
624:2021-03-06
600:2014-08-04
486:2021-03-06
422:2014-09-04
389:References
152:tent shows
142:Early life
82:Instrument
72:Occupation
48:1935-02-02
481:GoUpstate
358:and more
97:1910–1935
741:25 March
594:AllMusic
415:AllMusic
362:See also
178:cabarets
106:Columbia
772:at the
736:Discogs
55:Detroit
658:
567:
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161:Career
102:Labels
86:Vocals
76:Singer
62:Genres
188:with
743:2022
656:ISBN
565:ISBN
521:ISBN
417:.com
180:and
134:and
42:Died
29:Born
648:doi
455:doi
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.