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4. Richly Talented

Episode 4 of 5

Blues singer Bessie's talents are richly rewarded in the 1920s - but can the good times last? Written and read by Jackie Smith.

Blues singer Bessie Smith's talents are recognised in the 1920s.

She enjoys an extravagant, hedonistic, lifestyle and proves herself a generous friend.

However, the 1930s are looming...

Poet Jackie Kay charts the rise and fall of Bessie Smith as she brings to life the dramatic story of the greatest blues singer who ever lived.

Mixing biography, fiction, music and memoir, Jackie remembers the electric thrill of identification when, as a young black girl growing up in Glasgow, she was first gifted the music of the Empress. Jackie was thrilled by some of Bessie's naughtier lyrics.

Abridged by Rosemary Goring

Read by Jackie Kay

From 2016 to 2021, Jackie Kay was the Makar - Scotland's poet laureate.

Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2021.

14 minutes

Last on

Fri 22 Nov 202403:30
BBC Radio 4 Extra

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3. Buffet Flats

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5. An Unmarked Grave

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Broadcasts

  • Thu 25 Feb 202109:45
    BBC Radio 4 FM
  • Fri 26 Feb 202100:30
    BBC Radio 4
  • Thu 21 Nov 202408:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Thu 21 Nov 202413:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Thu 21 Nov 202419:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Fri 22 Nov 202403:30
    BBC Radio 4 Extra

Eight remarkable tales of the Empress of Blues

Eight remarkable tales of the Empress of Blues

Jackie Kay narrates the life story of the troubled blues singer, Bessie Smith.