Trixie Smith facts for kids

Trixie Smith (born around 1885 or 1895 – died September 21, 1943) was an American blues singer, actress, and entertainer. She made many recordings during her career.

About Trixie Smith

Early Life and Career

Trixie Smith was born and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She came from a family that was not poor. People are not sure exactly when she was born, with dates like 1885, 1888, and 1895 being mentioned.

She went to Selma University in Alabama. Around 1915, when she was about twenty years old, she moved to New York City. Soon after, she started performing in different cafés and theaters in Harlem and Philadelphia.

Trixie began her career in traveling shows. She was a comedian, dancer, actress, and singer. From 1916 to the early 1920s, she toured as a main singer in these shows. She also performed on Broadway using the name Bessie Lee.

Singing Successes

Trixie Smith made her first recordings for Black Swan Records in 1922. One of these songs was "My Man Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll)." This song is important because it was one of the first records to use the words "rocking" and "rolling" in a non-religious way. Other songs like "Rock That Thing" and "Rock Me Mama" were inspired by her record.

Also in 1922, Trixie won first place in a blues singing contest. She was called the "southern nightingale." She sang her own song, "Trixie's Blues," and won a silver cup. This contest took place in New York and was sponsored by the dancer Irene Castle.

Trixie is also well-known for her songs "Railroad Blues" (1925) and "The World Is Jazz Crazy and So Am I" (1925). The famous musician Louis Armstrong played the cornet on both of these songs.

Trixie Smith was a very skilled performer. Her records show great examples of blues music. She worked with other talented artists like James P. Johnson and Freddie Keppard. She also recorded with Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra for Paramount Records in 1924 and 1925. As she got older, her voice became stronger and deeper. Later rhythm-and-blues and soul singers used a similar style.

Later Career and Movies

As her blues singing career changed, Trixie mostly performed in cabaret shows. She also starred in musical shows like New York Revue (1928) and Next Door Neighbors (1928) at the Lincoln Theater in Harlem. She also appeared in Mae West's Broadway show, The Constant Sinner, in 1931. Two years later, Trixie performed in the play Louisiana.

Trixie Smith also appeared in five movies: Birthright (1938), God's Step Children (1938), Swing! (1938), Drums o' Voodoo (1934), and The Black King (1932). Two of these films were directed by Oscar Micheaux.

In 1938, she performed at a concert called From Spirituals to Swing. She made seven more recordings in 1938 and 1939. Most of her later recordings were with Sidney Bechet for Decca Records in 1938. In 1939, she recorded "No Good Man" with a band that included Red Allen and Barney Bigard.

Later in her life, she was known as Trixie Muse. She passed away in New York in 1943 after a short illness. She was about 48 years old.

In 2017, her song "Jack I'm Mellow" was used as the theme song for the comedy TV series, Disjointed.

Her Music Recordings

Here are some of the collections of Trixie Smith's recorded music:

See also

In Spanish: Trixie Smith para niños