"Far Away Blues" and breakout Blues singers Clara Smith and Bessie Smith
Clara and Bessie Smith and the Blues
Far Away Blues brings together two of the biggest stars of their day, singing together.
What can we learn about them and their times through their voices and history?
The episode will open and play in the browser.
About this Episode
Far Away Blues brings together two of the biggest stars of their day, singing together.
The song, written by Fletcher Henderson, was representative of the mournful popular music of the 1920s that was often called “the blues.”
Students explore how the different singing approaches of Clara Smith and Bessie Smith would help them become two of the biggest stars of the decade. And how their music reflected their time, and how their careers were impacted by the arrival of the Great Depression.
Students interact with the music and associated primary sources to explore insights into the song, lyrics, singers, and the historical, civic, and social contexts of the times while also reflecting on personal and contemporary connections.
Episode Implementation
Open the Teacher Guide (below) for ideas on using this Episode with students.
The Episode will open in the browser, and runs on PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. It is not designed for small (phone screens)
The Episode can be integrated with your LMS through a simple link, or students can play from this website. No student sign-in is needed.
Teacher Guides
The Music of US teacher guide provides information, standards alignment and tips for all Music of US resources.
The Far Away Blues teacher guide provides tips, background information and sources for the Far Away Blues episode.
Got Requests or Feedback?
If you have feedback on the Far Away Blues Episode, or requests or suggestions, we’d like to hear them!
About the recording, “Far Away Blues”
Far Away Blues is a blues song written by Fletcher Henderson (under a pseudonym) and performed by singers Clara Smith and Bessie Smith, with Henderson on piano, in 1923. It was recorded for the Columbia record label. It is part of the Library of Congress National Jukebox collection.