On May 9, 2012, The Blues Foundation honored my biography of Bessie Smith by inducting it into their Classic Blues Literature Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place in Memphis and the plaque was received on my behalf by Bob Porter. I thank all who gave Bessie their vote, and the blog visitor who pointed out that The Blues Foundation's membership is international.
I hate to be shamefully commercial, but I am told that I ought to be. So, if you are interested in reading Bessie, and can't find it at the library or in somebody's trash, here is a link to Amazon, where it can be found in paper and Kindle form.
I hate to be shamefully commercial, but I am told that I ought to be. So, if you are interested in reading Bessie, and can't find it at the library or in somebody's trash, here is a link to Amazon, where it can be found in paper and Kindle form.
You're selling yourself short. It isn't the National Blues Foundation.
ReplyDeleteThe Blues Foundation is an INTERNATIONAL group, with members all over the world.
Congratulations.
Thank you. I guess I sold the Foundation short. It is The Blues Foundation, and it is, indeed, international.
Delete"Bessie" has always been one of my "most favorite books" and I've read it several times. It's a great contribution, Chris. Just wonderful. It should've been inducted YEARS ago.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am, however, glad that they waited until I revised and expanded it. I was somewhat embarrassed by the original edition, which I had to write in a rush.
DeleteI've been a fan of the bio and an avid fan of her work and your work. I'd love to see this bio made into a movie. Have you thought about ever selling the rights. I'd love to rewrite the bio into a screenplay. The research you conducted on bessie is quite a treasure.
ReplyDeleteThere was much talk about a movie, even before I finished writing the book. It came close, money was paid, screenplays and drafts were written, and there even was a 100-page (legal sized, single-spaced) contract with Columbia Pictures. They paid Horton Foote $100,000 to write a draft, which he did, but then the studio came close to economic collapse, so that was that. Horton's script was good, but a bit on the old-fashioned side. Another script was written by Melvin Peeples (and paid for), but it was an absurd fantasy based on my book.
DeleteWarner Brothers rejected the idea after one of their "readers" described the book as unfit for film adaptation, because Bessie was never on drugs and, besides, it was not the "seven-handkerchief" material Billie Holiday's biofilm was made of!
Thank you for your kind words,
Chris
I'm nothing more than a dreamer, yet after learning about Bessie in high school I saw visions or what would be a movie based on the research from your book. Being an African American myself, I love movies like Ray, Dreamgirls and What's Love Got To Do With It, they make my community shine. Her story needs to be told. If I have to write the screenplay myself and pitch the idea I would. Telling her story and playing Ruby Walker would be a dream, I mean my last name happens to be Walker, this has to be Fate! I just don't know how to get started...
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