29c Bessie Smith single
Object Details
- Description
- Jazz and blues legends were honored with the eight 29-cent stamps in Legends of American Music Stamp Series issued on September 17, 1994, in Greenville, Mississippi, at the Delta Blues Festival. The stamps feature Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Mildred Bailey, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, "Ma" Rainey, and Howlin' Wolf.
- Bessie Smith (1894-1937), the Empress of the Blues, began singing in public as a child for pennies. In 1923, her first recording, "Downhearted Blues," sold an unprecedented 750,000 records. She recorded more than a hundred blues and popular songs, paving the way for future musicians.
- Howard Koslow designed the images for Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Mildred Bailey, and Julian Allen designed the images for Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, "Ma" Rainey, and Howlin' Wolf. Ashton-Potter (USA), Ltd., printed The stamps using offset lithography.
- Reference:
- Postal Bulletin (September 1, 1994).
- mint
- 11 horizontal perforations x 10.8 vertical perforations
- Credit line
- Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
- Data Source
- National Postal Museum
- Date
- September 17, 1994
- Object number
- 1995.2075.47
- Depicts
- Bessie Smith, American, 1894 - 1937
- Type
- Postage Stamps
- Medium
- paper; ink (multicolored); adhesive / lithography
- Place
- United States of America
- See more items in
- National Postal Museum Collection
- Title
- Scott Catalogue USA 2854
- Topic
- Music & Musicians
- Black Heritage
- Contemporary (1990-present)
- Women's Heritage
- U.S. Stamps
- Record ID
- npm_1995.2075.47
Related Object Groups
