[Dixielandjazz] Bessie Smith on BBC RADIO 2

[john petters]

Just received this from Mike Pointon. BBC Radio 2 is available on the internet.
>Dear JP,
Forgot to tell you that the new 6-part series w'ere doing,Empress Of The Blues,starts transmission this Tues(June 1) on BBC Radio 2  at 9.30pm-presented by George Melly,with me as consultant,produced by Neil Rosser of Spools Out Productions.
We use all the Frog restorations remastered by John RT.We have several rare archive interviews including Bessie's niece and the doctor who found Bessie,supplied by Chris Albertson,her biographer,who is also interviewed in depth(A new,expanded edition of Bessie, his definitive biog, is now out from Yale University Press.)Other interviewees include George Avakian who produced her first major reissues , playwright Edward Albee who wrote a drama about her death and its alleged circumstances,and Ottilie Patterson.I think it's the first complete series dedicated to Bessie showing her significance over  60 >years after her death.It'll also be a  tribute to John RT.

John Petters
Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ
www.traditional-jazz.com