Sixth Annotation.

"Biographies Life and times of the great ones." PBS.org. 13 Nov 2008 .

Bessie Smith was the most successful black performing artist of her time. She not only sang the blues she also did acting too. Bessie began her professional career by sing in 1912. She made almost 200 recordings, of which her remarkable duets with Armstrong are among her best. Although she excelled in the performance of slow blues, she also recorded vigorous versions of jazz standards. By the 1920s, she was a leading artist in black shows on the TOBA circuit and at the 81 Theatre in Atlanta. Her first recording, Down-Hearted Blues, established her as the most successful black performing artist of her time.