Mamie Smith

Mamie Smith
Background information
Birth name	Mamie Robinson
Born	(1891-05-26)May 26, 1891[1] Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Died	September 16, 1946(1946-09-16) (aged 55) Staten Island, New York, U.S.
Genres	Blues, vaudeville
Occupation(s)	Singer

Mamie Smith (née Robinson; May 26, 1891^[1] – September 16, 1946) was an American singer. As a vaudeville singer, she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues history as the first African-American artist to make vocal blues recordings. Willie "The Lion" Smith (no relation) described the background of these recordings in his autobiography Music on My Mind (1964).