Bessie Smith – The Complete Recordings, Vol. 1

When Bessie Smith sang, she owned it. She owned the music inside her, and the air around her. She owned the stage, the recording studio, the microphones. She owned the musicians and the song.

When Bessie Smith sang Down Hearted Blues, you went down, and came up.

When she sang Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home, you came home.

When she sang Tain’t Nobody’s Bizness If I Do, it wasn’t.

Bessie Smith owned it.