Dave Merrick

REVIEW Empress of the Blues – A Tribute to Bessie Smith; Thunderbolt, Totterdown, Bristol.

Some performers deserve to be known by more than their work. Bessie Smith won fame as Empress of the Blues in the 1020’s, but there was more to her life than money and fame.

She died in 1937, but 80 years on a good sized crowd were held rapt at the Thunderbolt as Dave Merrick narrated her life story, from a ragged upbringing in the American South, with the help of original recordings.

Bessie shot to fame because her unique vocal style could cut through the limitations of 1920s recording technology.

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REVIEW Empress of the Blues – A Tribute to Bessie Smith; Thunderbolt, Totterdown, Bristol.

Some performers deserve to be known by more than their work. Bessie Smith won fame as Empress of the Blues in the 1020’s, but there was more to her life than money and fame.

She died in 1937, but 80 years on a good sized crowd were held rapt at the Thunderbolt as Dave Merrick narrated her life story, from a ragged upbringing in the American South, with the help of original recordings.

Bessie shot to fame because her unique vocal style could cut through the limitations of 1920s recording technology.

But it was the live performances the Totterdown audience were waiting for, and Natalie Davis on vocals, with Dave on guitar and Brenan Whitmore on saxophone did not disappoint.

Renditions of I Need A Little Sugar in my Bowl, and ‘Taint Nobodies Business If I Do made the magic of Bessie shine, from the slow paced blues of the 1920s to the syncopated swing era of the 1030s – showcased by a fascinating and still-exciting clip for St Louis Blues of 1929. Often it’s the detail that fascinate as much as the music, because the blues is the story of black struggle, and life informed Bessie’s art. She earned a fortune and travelled in her own railway carriage, but she face violence and oppression. She won over white audiences but she could only play to them in segregated venues.

On tonight’s evidence, maybe the music could be spread more evenly through the story. But the show had the audience rapt.

Paul Breeden (South Bristol Voice May 2017)

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