Singers

February 16, 2009

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Profile America for the 16th day of Black History Month. One of the earliest African-American singing stars made her first recording on this date in 1923. Bessie Smith’s “Down Hearted Blues” sold 800,000 copies and started her on the road to fame. From shellac records to downloading songs from the Internet, black female singers have given pleasure to generations of Americans. The names include Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald in jazz, Mahalia Jackson and Odetta in gospel and folk, and Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price in classical music. Today, stars such as Mary J. Blige and Beyonce continue the tradition. We spend nearly $10.5 billion on sound recordings each year — with digital downloads moving up quickly among popular formats. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1102
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009edition.html