Podcasts about Bessie Smith

This episode features poet, author, and intellectual Moana ‘Ulu‘ave-Hafoka. The catalyst for this discussion was a recently released YouTube video by former Mormon author and YouTuber Alyssa Grenfell, titled Tonga is 60% Mormon??????, which has currently been viewed more than 200k times since being posted. This video references one of Moana's articles, so as nerds of Tonga, Indigeneity, and Mormonism, we wanted to add further complexity to some of what was shared on that platform. We discuss nuance, blurred boundaries, historical and cultural context, as well as Mormon specificity, and even larger structures and systems of power. We shift mid-way through this episode to engage with Ryan Coogler's film Sinners (spoilers). We discuss a variety of symbols in the film, including, the global impact of Black (African-American) culture, race, global Indigeneity, diaspora, spirituality, religion, sacred time-space, and more.   References: To be Young, Mormon, and Tongan by Moana ‘Ulu‘ave-Hafoka Kinikini, Lea Lani, Kepa Maumau, Moana Uluave-Hafoka, (2021).“Raise Your Pen: A Critical Race Essay on Truth and Justice”.  In Reppin: Youth Studies in Oceania. Ed. Keith Camacho. University of Washington Press. Tonga is 60% Mormon?????? By Alyssa Grenfell Church and State in Tonga: The Wesleyan Methodist Missionaries and Political Development, 1822-1875 by Sione Lātūkefu The “Glocalization” of Mormon Studies by Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye Letter to Tangata Va ‘Ofi in the Tongan Mormon Family by Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu The Mana of the Tongan Everyday: Tongan Grief and Mourning, Patriarchal Violence and Remembering Va by Fuifuilupe ‘Alilia Niumeitolu Comment on Sarah Newcomb and Robert Joseph Indigenous Perspectives on the Meanings of ‘Lamanite' by Tēvita O. Ka‘ili Marking Indigeneity: The Tongan Art of Sociospatial Relations by Tēvita O. Ka‘ili Tongan Crip Gang: A Tongan American Identity by ‘Esiteli Hafoka Oceania: Revisualizing the Pacific in American Religious History by ‘Esiteli Hafoka Withering as a Rose: Tongan Indigeneity, Mormonism and the Curse of the Lamanites by S. Ata Siu‘ulua Historical and Contemporary Representation of Kava by Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Sione M. U. H. Funaki Mormon masculinity, family, and kava in the Pacific by Arcia Tecun and S. Ata Siu‘ulua Tā, Vā, and Moana: Temporality, Spatiality, and Indigeneity by Hūfanga, ‘Okusitino Māhina Holographic Epistemology: Native Common Sense by Manulani Aluli Meyer In the Break: The Aesthetics of the Black Radical Tradition by Fred Moten Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude ‘Ma' Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday by Angela Davis A Philosophical Look at Black Music by Lewis Gordon

"This is the first of a two show set. Often people are shocked to hear that a hit song is a cover. We have put together a long list of hit songs that are covers and we will play the original to you can hear where the hit you know came from."

Kirk answers a bunch of listener questions on topics like bluegrass guitar, the music of Blue Prince, good apps for training theory skills, Robert Fripp's "Frippertronics," a mysterious sound on a Gene Clark song, different types of music notation, and the legacy of the blues. All that, and a trio of terrific singer/songwriters stops by the studio to help answer a question about lyrics.Come see Triple Click Live! Friday, July 11 at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland, OR. Tickets HereKirk has new music for sale on Bandcamp: Music For Podcasting and his original score for Arydia: The Paths We Dare TreadThanks to The Wailin' Jennys for coming on the show! Stay tuned for a full-length interview episode this summer, and go see them live if you can. They are amazing.FEATURED/DISCUSSED:“White Trash Wedding” by The Chicks from Home, 2002A live performance of “White Trash Wedding”“Simon's Theme” by Trigg & Gusset from the Blue Prince original soundtrack, 2025Kirk's recent essay about Blue Prince and musicTwo good free music sites: musictheory.net and muted.io“What Am I Here For” by Jade Bird from Something American - EP, 2017“Across The Sea” by The Wailin' Jennys from Bright Morning Stars, 2011“Lady of the North” by Gene Clark from No Other, 1974The terrific Wonder of Stevie podcastTantacrul's tremendous video about the history of music notation“Hammond Song” by The Roaches, 1979Chords of Orion video explaining and re-creating Frippertronics“The Heavenly Music Corporation II” by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno from No Pussyfooting, 1973“St. James Infirmary” rec. Joseph “King” Oliver, 1930“Cross Road Blues” rec. Robert Johnson, ~193x“Down Hearted Blues” rec. Bessie Smith, 1929Two versions of "Wedding Song" by Anaïs Mitchell from Hadestown, 2018Kirk's essay about musical creation and “The Spark”OUTRO SOLO: Rob Reich, prolific bay area multi-instrumentalist, died unexpectedly a few weeks ago at the age of 47. It's an unfathomable loss. Rob recorded an outro solo for Strong Songs back in its very first year, so we're including it in this episode as a tribute to him and his generous musical spirit. Read more about Rob here.----LINKS-----

"In July of 1962, the Rolling Stones play their first gig in the Marquee Club. The Marquee Club was one of the main venues for 1960s British rock. This week we will discuss the rather interesting history of the Marquee Club."

Episodio 7.17 de Las Cosas Que Hay Que Escuchar, en el cual nos pescamos el primer resfrío del invierno mientras escuchamos la música de Tomates Asesinos, Muncie Girls, Pylon, Astrud, Sarasqueta, The Beach Boys, Bene Gesserit, Bessie Smith, Björk, Peter Gabriel, Roger Taylor, Gang Of Four y Pata de Perro & Ultra K Y, obviamente, todo el delirio habitual de Saurio y las voces que lo atormentan. Si quieren convidar con un cafecito ☕, pueden hacerlo acá: https://cafecito.app/saurio

"Punk music has produced some of the greatest performers and some of the greatest musician nicknames. Here is a list of the best names and where they came form."

Today's show features music performed by Bessie Smith, Lonnie Johnson & Eddie Lang, and Lillie Mae Kirkman

People began to think Bessie Smith must be some kind of witchy woman. After all, they said, how else could she have recorded a song about the devastating Great Mississippi River Flood weeks before it even started?The lyrics of Smith's 1927 “Backwater Blues” certainly described perfectly the kind of misery that was being reported in the newspapers across the country that spring: It rained five days and the sky turned dark as night Then trouble's takin' place in the lowlands at night… When it thunders and lightnin', and the wind begins to blow There's thousands of people, ain't got no place to go… Backwater blues done called me to pack my things and go 'Cause my house fell down and I can't live there no more…To listeners, those words evoked pictures of what they were reading about. What then, other than hoodoo-y powers, could enable Smith to write and record a song about the flood and get the disc out before the rains even began to fall.To this day, Smith's Columbia record — with Bessie's vocal over James P. Johnson's stride piano — is often associated with the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927. Some teachers even use the song in classrooms as an audio introduction to the topic of one of America's greatest 20th century natural disasters.But….The fact is, though, the Columbia release of “Blackwater Blues” is one of the great coincidences in blues history. That's because historians now know that Bessie actually wrote “Backwater Blues” about a different flood on an entirely different river.Ninety years after the disc's release, writer David Evans made the case in the British journal called Popular Music that Smith found inspiration for her composition on Christmas of 1926 when the Cumberland River flooded during her stay in Nashville. “With her show cancelled, she found herself in a boarding house above an undertaker's, crowded together with people who'd been displaced,” Evans wrote. Angela Davis, in her 1990 book Blues Legacies and Black Feminism, also reported that story, recounting these words of Smith's sister-in-law, Maud Smith: “There was a lot of other people there, and they were trying to get her to stay, so they started hollerin' ‘Miss Bessie, please sing the ‘Back Water Blues,' please sing the ‘Back Water Blues.'” Well, Bessie didn't know anything about any ‘Back Water Blues,' but after we came back home … [she] came into the kitchen one day, and she had a pencil and paper, and she started singing and writing.”The RecordingOn Smith's next visit to Columbia's studio on Feb. 17, 1927, she recorded the new song, which the record company released in March, which just happened to be the same time the Mississippi was starting to flood, reaching record depth upriver around Cairo, Illinois. In the weeks to come, the great river's levees were starting to fail downstream, from Greenville down to the Gulf of Mexico. Ultimately, the swollen river would inundate an area nearly the size of Scotland across seven states. A thousand people lost their lives. Almost half a million homes were destroyed. A million people became homeless. Entire neighborhoods were wiped out. Despite its actual origin story, Bessie Smith's composition has become the anthem of the 1927 flood and, by extension, of other devastating natural disasters. For instance, when Katrina flooded New Orleans in 2005, many were recalling Bessie's words: I went and stood up on some high old lonesome hill And looked down on the house where I used to live…More Blues?If this song has you hankering for a second helping, drop by the free Radio Floodango music streaming service and click into the Blues Channel. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

"Back in 1973 Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in what was called The Rumble in the Jungle. This victory inspires Johnny Wakelin to write the song Black Superman. He gets a hit with it. So what other songs are written for or about athletes. We have a list."

Today's show features music performed by King Oliver and Bessie Smith

Summer is wonderful, of course — and much appreciated after that seeming endless winter — but it brings a bit of blues to the band room. That's because when the temperature's rising and the livin' is easy, Floodsters tend to scurry away in many different directions. New Orleans, Orlando, even France have been among the far-away places that lately temporarily scattered the old gang.In fact, the last time the Bowen House had a full boat for the band's weekly rehearsal was more than three weeks ago. One of the last tunes of that night was this cautionary tale. Think of this bon voyage as a quirky little trip advisory.About the Song“Deep Ellum Blues” isn't really a blues, not structurally, anyway; rather, it is more of a rollicking roadhouse song from deep in the heart of Texas.As reported here earlier, the tune celebrates — advertises? frets over? — a section of Dallas with a sketchy, colorful history. Back to the 1920s, it was down on Deep Ellum where you could rub shoulders with Blind Lemon Jefferson and Huddie Ledbetter, with Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith.Pigeon droppers, reefer men, crap shooters, card sharks and various purveyors of cocaine and bootleg whisky also populated those parts, not to mention the odd gangster (think Bonnie and Clyde and Pretty Boy Floyd).“It was the only place recorded on earth where business, religion, hoodooism, gambling and stealing go on at the same time without friction,” said Darwin Payne in his 1982 book Dallas, an Illustrated History.For more about the song's curious history, click here.Finding More Flood SongsIf there are other Flood songs you're in the mood for this morning, the best place to find them is in the free Flood Watch newsletter. The Song Stories department — click here to reach it — offers an alphabetized list of tunes featured in recent weekly podcasts.Once there, just scroll the page and click on a song title to reach an article that includes a recent performance along with a little of composition's history.Or are you in the mood for tunes from a particular time period? Got a 1920s jag going on or are you hankering for a bit of the ‘50s or ‘60s? Check out the “Tunes on a Timeline” section, which re-jiggers all those song links, sorting them into specific decades from pre-1910s up to the present.Click here to reach it. It's ideal for tuning up your time machine. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

Following Aidan's advice, Murphy, Jack, and Elliot travel to "The Ranch" in Utah to meet with an old associate of Murphy's. But while they are there, they make a startling discovery that makes them question everything they know.Written by Drew BurtDirected by Alexandra MunroeAssistant Directed by Drew BurtCast:Emma Grace Myers - Merlyn MurphyDan Vasquez - Jack SherwoodDrew Burt - Elliot O'DonnellAntone Correia - Clifford MorrisDaniela Franceschetti - Wendy CallahanCedric Gegel - Aidan WalkerAddy Jenkins - EdenSoren Correia - Additional VoicesAnnie Vee - Additional VoicesProduced by Alexandra Munroe, Annie Vee, & Dennis S. MowersDialect Coaching by Antone CorreiaMusic and Sound by Dennis S. MowersSongs featured:“Deep Blue Sea Blues” by Bessie Smith“Chicago Bound Blues” by Bessie Smith“Prescription for the Blues” by Bessie Smith© 2025 Ghostly Muse Productions, LLCFollow us on our social media and check out our website!Instagram, TikTok, & Facebook: @murphyaudiodramaTwitter/X: @merlynsmonstersWebsite: www.ghostlymuseproductions.com

The Blues as Black Sonic Folklore: Part 2:"Hard Ground and High Water: The Blues of Survival and Struggle"We continue our Black Music Month series by diving into the Blues as a witness to environmental crisis and class struggle.Featuring music by Bessie Smith, Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Lead Belly, we explore how songs about flood, drought, and urban segregation serve as time capsules, preserving Black ecological, economic, and emotional history through sound. These are more than Blues, they are survival songs, testimonies of people shaped by both nature and the systems that fail them.

"Last week we spoke of Dockery Farms which the birthplace of The Blues. As all music does it was expanded and taken to different places by the musicians who played it. Here is a run down and description of the most popular forms of The Blues."

"Back in March of 1979 the movie The China Syndrome came out. Weeks later the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster occurred. This lead to musicians setting up MUSE and holding the NO Nukes concerts, albums and film. We have the entire story including the first time Bruce Springsteen was recorded live."

46:05 – Bessie Smith’s first five recording sessions for Columbia Records, which made her a star and got her dubbed the Empress of the Blues. These sessions cover the first half of 1923, and also feature (at the piano) Clarence Williams on the first two sessions and Fletcher Henderson on the latter three. This show […]

"Dockery Farms is said to be the place where the Delta Blues began. That is a bold statement but once you hear the research I have gathered it will be hard to argue. Robert Johnson did not sell his soul for great musical talent. He went to Dockery Farms which is still open today and welcoming visitors."

Today's show features music performed by Bessie Smith, Wee Bea Booze, and Jimmy Reed

"If you have an extra 12495 dollars lying around then you can be a roadie for Gene Simmons on his solo tour. We will discuss what you must do and if the money is worth it. We will also talk about the average monies paid to real roadies."

"First you need to know there are no swear words in this show. It was this week back in the 60s when the FBI released a letter stating that there were no curse words in the song Louie Louie. But people keep looking. This is a list of songs that were banned or otherwise maligned because someone was sure the singer was cursing. But there was no curse word. It is a long list."

"This week back in 2007 Sammy Hagar sold an 80 percent stake in his Cabo Wabo tequila for $80 million. Since then it seems every musician or band has their own line of booze. Here is a good long list and where you can buy it."

"We all know the stories of the Beatles, Doors, Dylan and Stones on Ed Sullivan. However, there are a few more good stories you might find interesting. They are not as big at the main stories, but interesting nonetheless."