| Date | City | Venue | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30/09/17 | Hemel Hempstead | The Old Town Hall Arts Centre | United Kingdom |
| Time: 8:00pm. Age restrictions: No Minors. Address: 44a High Street. | |||
| 15/12/17 | Maidenhead | Norden Farm Centre for the Arts | United Kingdom |
| Time: 8:00pm. Admission: £tbc. Age restrictions: No Minors. Address: Altwood Road. | |||
| 27/01/18 | Dorchester | Dorchester Corn Exchange | United Kingdom |
| Time: 8:00pm. Age restrictions: No Minors. Address: High E Street. | |||
BESSIE SMITH “EMPRESS OF THE BLUES”
Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer. Nicknamed the Empress of the Blues, she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on other jazz singersWe have a run of U.K. show dates, commencing 22nd September 2017, almost 80 years to the day when this formidable and influential blues/jazz woman tragically lost her life, aged 43 years. The show will be running throughout 2018.
Bessie Smith (Julia Titus) and her troupe (internationally acclaimed drummer, Sam Kelly with Paul Jobson on keyboards, Tony Qunta on guitar, Richard Sadler on upright bass, Ray Carless on sax, Chuck Lloyd on sax and Kevin Davy on trumpet) perform to a narrated show, featuring music from the era and showcasing many of Bessie‘s songs. The production chronicles her life from a one-room shack in Blue Goose Hollow, through to becoming the highest-paid black entertainer of that time, to the tragic accident on Route 61 in September 1937 which resulted in her untimely death aged 43 years.