Mammie Smith became the first Black woman to make a record on Februay 14,1920,Smith recored “You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” and “This Thing Called Love.”
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Mamie Smith, 1883 – 1946, was a versatile performer best remembered for being the first African American to make a blues recording. Born Mamie Robinson in Cincinatti, OH, she began her career in vaudeville and minstrel shows. She moved to New York in 1913 to earn her lving in musical theatre. In 1920 she recorded “That Thing Called Love” and “You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down.” Based on the success of these she recorded two blues songs, “Crazy Blues” and “It’s Right Here For You, If You Don’t Get It, ‘Tain’t No Fault of Mine,” the first blues recordings by an African American singer. The record was a gigantic hit, selling over 1,000,000 copies in a year, opening up the up till then underrecognized black audience for records. Smith remained an active performer, on stage, records and in movies, til her death in 1946.
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