Only one video exists of Bessie Smith, and it doesn’t do her justice. Fortunately, we now also have Bessie, the HBO biopic starring Queen Latifah as the tough, talented, bisexual blues star.
If you haven’t yet, you owe it to yourself to check it out now (via HBO’s various on-demand platforms). Then, relive it time and again with the soundtrack from Legacy Recordings. It features both the original Smith and Latifah singing her incredible songbook — plus classic tracks by greats such as Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller — not to mention arrangements by Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks of Boardwalk Empire fame. It’s a lively snapshot the 1920s music scene, when artists like Smith helped put Columbia Records on the map. legacyrecordings.com
New Orleans, LA This Labor Day weekend extravaganza is a cornerstone of queer culture in…
As a writer, I’ve admired David Sedaris from afar ever since hearing a live reading…
Critically acclaimed, Nashville-based LGBTQ+ indie-rock artist and advocate Abby Nissenbaum and her video "Gentleman," the highlight track from her new EP Want…
Finding Fire Island, the GLAAD-nominated documentary series created, executive produced, and narrated by Jess Rothschild,…
“These are stories that confirm humans are good people,” says Feng-Feng Yeh of Chinese Chorizo…
No matter how strong, smart, or successful we become, there’s always that quirky, queer kid…
Leave a Comment