amberstoocool (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

wow thats pretty neat! thanks for letting me in on that.

jzzeffect (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

amberstoocool You have a very good ear! There was in fact an homage to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue in W.C. Handy's St Louis Blues. Gershwin was a big fan of W.C. Handy's work, and I think Handy acknowledged his appreciation Gershwin's work in this piece.

CarolinaDrama (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

ZOMG the original video!!! 8DThis is a real treat after finding the original sheet music online. Just wish they had published the harmonies in this recording.Her singing in the beginning as well as some of the chorus singing was featured in Malcolm McLaren's song "About Her" from Kill Bill 2, which sparked my interest in the song.

lesourn (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

Wow, the original 1929 film clip! (With dancer Jimmy Mordecai). If you want to know more about Bessie her story is told in the book by Chris Albertson called, Empress of the Blues. She was the voice of her generation and is greatly missed.

bandibreath (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

The Blues was born out of the Negro Spirtituals, which of course came out of the suffering of my ancestors that were not only enslaved, but many of my relatives prior to my birth endured the horrors of Jim Crow. By the time I was born in 1961, The second leg of the Civil rights movement had already started. As far as zinbadx, the truth is that Civilization existed in Africa centuries before it ever existed in Europe. Africa was made up of Kingdoms and numerous tribes.

zinbadx (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

Actually i don't believe in God, i have nothing against black people, i'm not quite sure why i wrote that, i like to see peoples reaction i guess, and ah yes, i'm from Scotland.

viewstew (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

Oh, and I may I add that it's even more revolting to discover you are from EDINBURGH?! I hope you are an exchange student or something, because the Scots are a noble race, long known for their acceptance and tolerance of other races. I repeat - you're a jerk. Times 2. 'nuf said.

viewstew (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

Wow. Hope you're proud of yourself. You managed to make yourself look like a total jerk without anybody else helping you. Oh, and when was the last time you saw God? Please tell me, because I'd love to meet him, and ask him why he let genetic defectives like you get through the gene pool. It's people like you who who draw swastikas on walls, and spell Satan "satin", right? How far did you go in school - 3rd grade? LOSER!

zinbadx (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

fucking niggerlovers, god gave us them to have someone pick that cotton in my field, he sent them here because he thought we needed some relaxation, is god black? No, he is white. Niggers are animals, when we sailed down to Africa they danced with bones in their hair around campfires and lived in straw huts, we whites have advanced and civilizied us, but they still lived in anarchy.

RivaJane (December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm)

Wow. Her voice floors me, every time. She was the voice of a generation