The most influential popular female musician of the 1920s, Bessie Smith 's records sold in unprecedented numbers. Hailed as the Empress of the Blues, she had a profound impact on jazz and blues musicians during her short lifetime and in the years following her death in 1937. Alyn Shipton and Irish singer Christine Tobin select the gems from Smith's 10-year recording career. Producers Alyn Shipton and Simon Poole