Music is an important part of Southern Culture, especially in the African American community. Some of the most prolific singers ever have been true Black Southern Belles. No matter how humble their beginnings, they are the originators of diva style and personality and we love seeing how their southern roots developed and built them into the stars and talents that they became. Today we are featuring a curated list of African American Music Books Featuring Black Southern Belles. These books are must-haves for any true music lover. Be sure to add this list of African American Music Books Featuring Black Southern Belles to your library collection. If you know of more, be sure to share them with us on social media using the hashtag #blacksouthernbelle
African American Music Books Featuring Black Southern Belles
Bessie: Revised and expanded edition
Considered by many to be the greatest blues singer of all time, Bessie Smith was also a successful vaudeville entertainer who became the highest paid African-American performer of the roaring twenties. This book―a revised and expanded edition of the classic biography of this extraordinary artist―debunks many of the myths that have circulated since her untimely death in 1937.
Chris Albertson writes with insight and candor about the singer’s personal life and her career, supplementing his historical research with dozens of interviews with her relatives, friends, and associates, in particular Ruby Walker Smith, a niece by marriage who toured with Bessie for over a decade. For this new edition he includes more details of Bessie’s early years, new interview material, and a chapter devoted to events and responses that followed the original publication in 1971.
I Put A Spell On You: The Autobiography Of Nina Simone
Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in small-town North Carolina, Nina Simone changed the face of both music and race relations in America. She struck a chord with bluesy jazz ballads like “Put a Little Sugar in My Bowl” and powerful protest songs such as “Mississippi Goddam” and “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black,” the anthem of the American Civil Rights movement.
Here are the many lives and loves of Nina Simone, recounted in her unshakable voice.
Between Each Line of Pain and Glory: My Life Story
This immensely inspiring autobiography tells the whole, true story of Gladys Knight, a four-time Grammy winner, whose life has been rich in music, faith, love, and immense hardships. of photos.
My Love Story by Tina Turner
From her early years in Nutbush, Tennessee to her rise to fame alongside Ike Turner to her phenomenal success in the 1980s and beyond, Tina candidly examines her personal history, from her darkest hours to her happiest moments and everything in between.
My Love Story is an explosive and inspiring story of a woman who dared to break any barriers put in her way. Emphatically showcasing Tina’s signature blend of strength, energy, heart, and soul, this is a gorgeously wrought memoir as enthralling and moving as any of her greatest hits.
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Michiel is a Black Southern Belle living a lowcountry life. I love all things fashion, home decor and southern! When I am not running around doing fun stuff for Black Southern Belle, I live in antique stores and have a minor obsession with historic homes :)
