Bessie & the Big 9

First aired on WUTC 10/08/2022

The inaugural episode of “The Songbirds Radio Hour” focuses on Chattanooga's famous 9th Street now known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. We explore how the thriving Black community helped shape the music career of legendary blues singer Bessie Smith.

Guests:

— Dr. Michelle Scott, the author of "Blues Empress in Black Chattanooga: Bessie Smith and the Emerging Urban South," which influenced the 2015 film "Bessie." Dr. Scott is a professor of history at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
— Neshawn Calloway, a music teacher at Chattanooga’s Center for Creative Arts, is the musical guest, covering some of Bessie’s most beloved songs.