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3. Buffet Flats

Episode 3 of 5

Blues singer Bessie attacks her lover Ruby in a jealous rage and ends up in jail. Written and read by Jackie Kay.

After the end of her marriage, Bessie continued to have relationships with both sexes - It wasn't just the jazz that could 'swing'.

But unfortunately, one love triangle ended in violence and jail ...

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.

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 91热爆 Radio 4 in February 2021.

14 minutes

Last on

Thu 21 Nov 2024 03:30
91热爆 Radio 4 Extra

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2. Ma Rainey

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4. Richly Talented

See all episodes from Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay

Broadcasts

  • Wed 24 Feb 2021 09:45
    91热爆 Radio 4 FM
  • Thu 25 Feb 2021 00:30
    91热爆 Radio 4
  • Wed 20 Nov 2024 08:30
    91热爆 Radio 4 Extra
  • Wed 20 Nov 2024 13:30
    91热爆 Radio 4 Extra
  • Wed 20 Nov 2024 19:30
    91热爆 Radio 4 Extra
  • Thu 21 Nov 2024 03:30
    91热爆 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.