YOU WILL DEFER TO SHE AS "EMPRESS OF THE BLUES" -- NO MORE, NO LESS.

PIC INFO: Spotlight on a portrait of pioneering African-American blues and jazz singer Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937), artwork by William Stout for his "Legends of the Blues" portraits series.

MINI-BIO: "Widely renowned during the Jazz Age and nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, she is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on fellow blues singers, as well as jazz vocalists."

-- WIKIPEDIA