Ok, let's hear some stories!

Oh god, I'm torn

Both women raised outlandish hell,,,,and throw Lady Day with them too because her friends/peers didn't call her "Prime bitch on wheel" for nothing.

::Waiting for TD3::

Wow, tell me about them. Or should I just "wiki" and get back with my opinion?

I would rather hear stories from the 'heads around here instead of wiki

Harlepolis said:

It's uh f%#@! toss-up.

I know more personal stories about Washington because my own family/friends had runs in with her....she was from the neighborhood.

Bessie Smith would carve up man, women, and maybe child in uh second. Dinah Washington if pushed, would pull out a gun and shoot yo' ass. That's how Washington got out of her contract with Lionel Hampton: the story goes, she got drunk on some gin came to rehearsal took point blank aim at Hampton; Washington got off a couple of shots. The very next day she embarked on her solo career. Those women didn't take shit from anyone.




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[Edited 3/6/10 16:07pm]

Where was Bessie from? Why was she so ruthless? TD3, what did your family have to say about Dinah? Did you mom ever meet her?

scriptgirl said:

Born: Chattanooga, Tennessee

No, my mother didn't know Ms. Washington. My grandmother and a great aunt knew she and her mother (Alice Jones) they went to St. Luke Babtist Church.

What did your granny say about her?

scriptgirl said:

She knew her as a lil' girl/young woman. My granny told me when she came back to Chi-town she'd come to church (St. Luke) on Sunday's always. Dinah teased and reminded my granny she didn't bust her out when she saw Dinah out at in the clubs on 63rd as a teenager.

Dinah liked men.... she wasn't all that discriminating whom she slept with either. My father had a friend who lived in Gary at the time and told them he was dating Washington but they didn't believe him. She had two sets one at 7pm and one at 11pm, she told dad friend to meet her at the llpm set. My father said the partied up and down 63rd and Cottage well after midnight. When they arrived at the club Washington was at the bar with her leg swangin'. This is what she said,

"Motherfucker I told you you to have your blackass here at ll o'clock instead here you come strolling up in here like you have malaises up your ass. Who do you think you're fucking with! Motherfucker it's over: no more hundred dollar silk shirts drapped across your back, silk draws, shoes, or anything else. Motherfucker take all my off shit off I've bought you".

My father said he removed the watch, shirt, jacket, socks, and when he got to the slacks he explained, he didn't have her silk draws on but his own BVD's.

I told Harle this story

TD3 said:

My aunt didn't get a job once because she and Washington got into a cussing match. All because my aunt din't recognize who she was. My aunt had a job interview with the head of housekeeping at a hotel. When she went into the womens office my aunt assumed Washington was boss. Washington was like, "bitch don't you know who I'am"? I'm.... My aunt replied, "Heife', no I don't and I could give uh fuck".



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[Edited 3/7/10 14:24pm]

Why do you say Bessie would cut you?

scriptgirl said:

Bessie would fight at the drop of a hat and back then it wasn't uncommon for women to carry razors. She got in a fight with a man he stabbed her, she got up ran after him and the only thing that stopped her was she collasped because of the wound. Bessie was tough,.

Women carried razors back then? Wow.

scriptgirl said:

Yep, my grandmother use to carry a razor. Black women carried those straight (barber) razors in their bra.

TD3 said:

Smith didn't take issue with shooting either.




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how did you not cut yourself if you are carrying a razor?

scriptgirl said:

The handle was used to cover over the blade when closed. All i can say my granny never nicked a titty. Them sistas knew how to work it.

I couldn't have lived back then. I would have cut an artery. Was Bessie naturally mean and was it true she was bi?

scriptgirl said:

I don't think she took any shit and yeah she was bi. She lived her life on her terms.

scriptgirl said:

the square razor blades are a recent thang.

TD3 said:

Are you sure you don't have a West Indian blood in you? The ladies in your family are so QUICK.

I remember reading a story from "Wishing On The Moon" book by Donald Clarke.

It was explaining how Lady Day was moody and would flip on her friends in a bad day.

Anyway, pianist Bobby Tucker explained how WILD they were when they ran into each other in some downtown hotel(now mind you, when black folks came to that territory, they didn't attract attention to themselves in those days, not those two though). At some point, one of the security came to the back elevator thinking there was some terrible fights instead, he ended up seeing two STONED dames with alot of smack talk.

When Queenie visited Lady Day in some LA club months later, Billie was done cussing the club owner out earlier and resorted to her dressing room, when Queenie knocked on the door, Billie got out looked @ Dinah from head to two, and before Queenie could say a word, Billie barked "No bitch, I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBERS today" and with that, she slammed the door.

Bobby Tucker saw Dinah heading down the steps with tears in her eyes. Of course they made up later, but thats how their relationship would be, both women had the MOST evil temper and both of them in the room may have resulted in some dangerous encounters
[Edited 3/7/10 0:27am]

TD3 said:

Thats the first thing I heard differently about the Hamp.

Usually everybody talked about how generous he was with his musicians and peers, it was his wife Gladys that was REALLY hated because she strict on everybody and she was the one who fined the musicians/vocalists in Hamp's band if they messed up.

As for Bessie.

Ethel Waters was supposed to headline for Bessie, and when she was in the middle of her performance, she was asked to finish the rest of the set because Bessie was sick and couldn't perform. Anyway, as a tribute to Bessie, Ethel sang "Backwater Blues" which was a BIG mistake all HOLY hell got raised behind the scene, it was so rowdy that some members of the audience heard Bessie yelling "wait till I show these northern bitches how to sing a fuckin' BESSIE SMITH tune".

She was mostly known for her spunk, though. When the Clansmen ambushed a tent where she performed in, everybody ran to the bushes while she ran to the opposite direction, when of the musicians asked her where the hell was she going, she barked "I'm gonna pick a bone with those mofos and let 'em know what happens when you fuck up my set"

I suggest you guys to watch Ken Burns' Jazz documentary, its full of stories like these.
[Edited 3/7/10 1:13am]

TD3 said:

I LOVE that story folks nowadays throw "diva", "fierce" and all that foolishness, but only FEW deserve to be referred to as such. Queenie was def from the heart of that caliber.

Harlepolis said:

Washington wanted out of that contract and for the obvious reasons he nor Gladys wanted to release her. Washington probably thought it would be better to shoot at Gladys man than Gladys herself..... she got what she wanted.

Washington's manager Marion Baskerville (who also managed Sista Franklin for a time) had this to say.

Washington was to performed in England and Ms. Baserville tried to explain to Washington Queen here, was Elizabeth and not a sista. Dinah went out on stage and said, "There's is but one heaven , one hell, and one queen and your Elizabeth is an imposter!"


Washington thought every woman should have a mink coats and diamonds some of the stuff she wore were unpaid for but Dinah could worry about that. "Hell no, she'd laugh." "They belong to the man." "Let him worry about it."


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[Edited 3/7/10 5:47am]

TD3 said:

Now thats what "attitude for days" mean

Girl, my mothers sisters (all 5 of them) were Not to be trifled with. My Aunt Sarah and Dinah might as well been separated at birth, you got as good as you gave.





My uncle told me they wouldn't allow Dinah in a dice game in Chicago, because she ended up winning everyone's money. They were shooting craps in mens bathroom at a club called the Crown Propeller. Dinah busted in, pulled her dough out of her chest and said, "move over son-of-bitches I'm in". Squatted on the floor with a dress on and start playing.. there was $10,000 on the floor. When it was all over with, she'd won 15,000, one guy wanted to keep playing trying to recoup his losses. Washington said, "Fucker the game is over, I won the shit-load of money, and if you said another goddamn thing or try to pickup my money, your ass well be going home without your hand and and yo' dick."