CLARA SMITH

Biography

Clara Smith, born on March 13, 1894, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, rose from poverty in the Highlands area to become one of the most prominent classic female blues singers of the 1920s, billed as the 'Queen of the Moaners' despite her lighter, sweeter vocal style compared to contemporaries. She began her career around 1910 on African-American vaudeville circuits, tent shows, and the Theater Owners Booking Association (TOBA) circuit, headlining by 1918 at major venues like the Lyric in New Orleans, Dream Theatre in Columbus, Georgia, Bijou Theatre in Nashville, and Booker T. Washington Theatre in St. Louis. In her early 20s, she ventured into vaudeville and settled in Harlem in 1923, performing in cabarets, speakeasies, and even owning the Clara Smith Theatrical Club by 1924, while launching her recording career with Columbia Records that same year, ultimately producing 122 sides focused on themes of lost love, inner pain, and later upbeat, sometimes overtly sexual numbers like 'Whip It to a Jelly' (1926).[1][2][3][4][6]

Smith's musical style evolved from moaning, tragic ballads such as 'Awful Moanin’ Blues,' 'Every Woman's Blues,' and 'I'm Tired of Flattenin’ Frogs for Snakes' to more lively tracks, backed by jazz luminaries including Louis Armstrong on cornet, Fletcher Henderson, Don Redman on clarinet, Coleman Hawkins on sax, James P. Johnson on piano, Lonnie Johnson, Charlie Green, Joe Smith, and Freddy Jenkins. She recorded two duets with Bessie Smith (no relation)—'My Man Blues' and 'Far Away Blues'—in 1925, and her sales were second only to Bessie's among female blues artists. After steady recordings through 1932, she moved to Detroit in 1933, continuing live performances in revues until heart disease led to her death on February 2, 1935, at age 40.[1][3][4][6]

Regarded as one of the top early female blues singers, surpassed only by Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, Clara's legacy endures through her extensive discography and influence on classic blues, ragtime, and the 'race music' market she dominated in the 1920s, with performances reaching even the rare West Coast tours.[2][4][6]

Fun Facts

• Despite her 'Queen of the Moaners' nickname, Clara had a lighter and sweeter voice than contemporaries like Bessie Smith.
• She recorded 122 songs for Columbia, second only to Bessie Smith in sales among female blues artists.
• In 1926, she married Charles Wesley, a baseball manager.
• Her 1926 track 'Whip It to a Jelly' is noted as one of the more overtly sexual blues recordings of the era.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• None identified - No specific mentors or teachers documented in sources (N/A) [N/A]

Key Collaborators

• Louis Armstrong - Cornet player backing her recordings (Various Columbia sides (1925+)) [1920s]
• Fletcher Henderson - Frequent musical accompanist (Multiple Columbia recordings) [1920s]
• Don Redman - Clarinet player on recordings (Columbia sessions) [1920s]
• Bessie Smith - Vocal duets (no relation) ('My Man Blues' and 'Far Away Blues' (Columbia 14098-D)) [1925]
• Lonnie Johnson - Four vocal duets (Unspecified duets) [1920s]
• James P. Johnson - Piano accompanist (1929 Columbia sessions) [1929]

Artists Influenced

• Josephine Baker - Hired as dresser at age 13, developed mentor-mentee relationship (rumored romantic) (N/A) [1919]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia