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Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 - September 26, 1937) was the most popular American blues singer of the 1920s-30s, often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and a major influence on subsequent jazz vocalists. In the 1920's Smith became the highest paid black entertainer of the day, heading her own shows, and touring in her own railroad car. Her career was cut short by the Great Depression and the advent of Hollywood talkies which spelled the end for vaudeville. Smith was critically injured in a car accident. At her funeral an estimated 10,000 mourners filed past her coffin. Carl Van Vechten, 1936 (cropped and cleaned).