Clara Smith (March 13, 1894 – February 2, 1935) was an American

classic female blues Classic female blues was an early form of blues music, popular in the 1920s. An amalgam of traditional folk blues and urban theater music, the style is also known as vaudeville blues. Classic blues were performed by female singers accompanied by ...

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

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...

and

Mamie Smith Mamie Smith ( Robinson; May 26, 1891 – August or September 16, 1946) was an American singer. As a vaudeville singer, she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues history as the first African-American a ...

Early life

Clara Smith was born to parents Selena and William Smith in

Spartanburg County Spartanburg County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 327,997, making it the fifth-most populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Spartanbu ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. 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

tent show Tent shows have been an important part of American history since the mid-to-late nineteenth century. In 1927, Don Carle Gillette gave "statistical evidence that the tented drama constituted 'a more extensive business than Broadway and all the rest ...

s", that frequently stopped in Spartanburg and sparked her interest in performance.

Career

In 1910, Smith began working on African-American theater circuits, in tent shows, and

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

. By 1918, she was appearing as a headliner with the

Theater Owners Booking Association Theatre Owners Booking Association, or T.O.B.A., was the vaudeville circuit for African American performers in the 1920s. The theaters mostly had white owners, though about a third of them had black owners. These included the restored Morton Theat ...

circuit across Southern states. By 1923, she had performed at major theatres of the time such as the Lyric in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, the Dream Theatre in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

, the Bijou Theatre in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, and the Booker T. Washington Theatre in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. In 1923, she settled in New York City, appearing at

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

s and

speakeasies A speakeasy, also called a beer flat or blind pig or blind tiger, was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages. The term may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. In the United State ...

there. She was then signed to a recording contract, and the same year she made the first of her commercially successful series of

gramophone record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...

ings with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, working with many other musicians such as

Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musical ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

,Abrams, Steven; Settlemier, Tyrone
''The Online Discographical Project: Columbia A3500–A4001 (1921–1923) Numerical Listing''
Retrieved January 14, 2011. and

Don Redman Donald Matthew Redman (July 29, 1900 – November 30, 1964) was an American jazz musician, arranger, bandleader, and composer. Biography Redman was born in Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. His father was a music teacher ...

. She recorded two duets with

: "My Man Blues" and "Far Away Blues" (Columbia 14098-D), on September 1, 1925. She recorded Tom Delaney'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 sexual blues". 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. During her time performing, Smith met young

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

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. In 1933, she was on the road in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and worked at theaters in revues there until she succumbed to

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

in February 1935, a month short of her 41st birthday.

Discography

*1923-24 - ''Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 1'' (Document Recs, 1995) *1924-00 - ''Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 2'' (Document Recs, 1995) *1925-00 - ''Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 3'' (Document Recs, 1995) *1926-27 - ''Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 4'' (Document Recs, 1995) *1927-29 - ''Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 5'' (Document Recs, 1995) *1930-32 - ''Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Vol. 6'' (Document Recs, 1995) *1924-29 - ''The Essential Clara Smith'' (Retrieval, 2001)

78' Rpm

*"I Never Miss the Sunshine (I'm So Used to the Rain)" / "Awful Moanin' Blues" (1923) with

*"I Got Everything A Woman Needs" / "Every Woman's Blues" (1923) *"Irresistible Blues" / "I Want My Sweet Daddy Now" (1923) *"All Night Blues" / "Play It (Do It a Long Time Papa)" (1923) *"Kind Lovin' Blues" / "Down South Blues" (1923) *"Don't Never Tell Nobody" / "Waitin' for the Evenin' Mail" (1923) *"Far Away Blues" / "I'm Going Back to My Used to Be" (1923) with

*"I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" / "You Don't Know My Mind" (1924) *"Mean Papa Turn in Your Key" / "Back Woods Blues" (1924) *"San Francisco Blues" / "Chain Gang Blues" (1924) with George Williams *"Good Looking Papa Blues" / "Don't Advertise Your Man" (1924) *"Kansas City Man Blues" / "Uncle Sam Blues" (1924) *"The Basement Blues" / "Mama's Gone, Good Bye" (1924) *"Freight Train Blues" / "Done Sold My Soul to the Devil (And My Heart's Done Turned to Stone)" (1924) *"West Indies Blues" / "The Clearing House Blues" (1924) *"He's Mine, All Mine" / "Steel Drivin' Sam" (1925) *"The Market Street Blues" / "It Takes the Lawd (To Tell What's on My Mind)" (1925) *"My Good for Nuthin' Man" / "When I Steps Out" (1925) *"Nobody Knows the Way I Feel Dis Mornin'" / "If You Only Knowed" (1925) *"Nobody's Blues but Mine" / "My Man Blues" (1925) with Bessie Smith and Her Band *"Court House Blues" / "The L & N Blues" (1926) *"How'm I Doin'" / "Whip It to a Jelly" (1926) *"Ain't Nothin' Cookin' What You're Smellin'" / "Separation Blues" (1926) *"Livin' Humble" / "Get on Board" (1927) *"That's Why The Undertakers Are Busy Today" / "Black Woman's Blues" (1927) *"Ease It" / "Percolatin' Blues" (1927) *"Troublesome Blues" / "You Can't Get It Now" (1927) *"Cheatin' Daddy" / "You Don't Know Who's Shakin' Your Tree" (1927) with Her Jazz Babies *"Wanna Go Home" / "Ain't Got Nobody to Grind My Coffee" (1928) *"Jelly Look What You Done Done" / "It's All Coming Home to You" (1928) *"Steamboat Man Blues" / "Sobbin' Sister Blues" (1928) *"Gin Mill Blues" / "Got My Mind on That Thing" (1929) *"It's Tight Like That" / "Daddy Don't Put That Thing on Me Blues" (1929) *"Papa I Don't Need You Now" / "Tired of the Way You Do" (1929) *"Oh! Mister Mitchell" / "Where Is My Man" (1930) *"Ol' Sam Tages" / "Unemployed Papa-Charity Workin' Mama" (1931) *"For Sale" / "You Dirty Dog" (1931) *"Broken Busted Blues" / "Court House Blues" with

*"Shipwrecked Blues" / "My John Blues" *"Frosty Mornin' Blues" / "Easy Come Easy Go Blues" and more

References

External links

Gravemarker at Deadbluesguys website

Biography and Discography in Red Hot Jazz Archive

Clara Smith recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...