Bessie Smith - The Complete Recordings Vol. 5 The Final Chapter (1996)

The last two-CD set in this five-volume collection contains a lot of curiosities, and several pieces of required listening as well: "Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl," "Do Your Duty," and "Gimme a Pigfoot" are all here. For curiosities, there's the St. Louis Blues soundtrack, from a film short that contains the only footage of Smith. The second CD consists entirely of interviews with Smith's niece, Ruby Smith, which, while of secondary interest to the music, make for fascinating listening. In a gradual, rambling way, Ruby constructs an image of her famous aunt that reveals additional facets of the Empress of the Blues.

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl 02:50
02. Safety Mama 03:26
03. Do Your Duty 03:27
04. Gimme A Pigfoot 03:31
05. Take Me For A Buggy Ride 02:38
06. I'm Down In The Dumps 03:12
07. The Yellow Dog Blues 03:18
08. Soft Pedal Blues 03:22
09. Nashville Women's Blues 03:19
10. Careless Love Blues 03:30
11. Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) 03:16
12. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - Band Intro 0:45
13. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - Crap Game 05:43
14. St. Louis Blues Soundtrack - St. Louis Blues 08:19

CD 2:
01. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Bessie Disappears 04:50
02. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Waldorf-Astoria Party 07:15
03. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Bessie & Jack, I 02:52
04. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith Bessie & Jack II - Bessie & The Ladies 10:23
05. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Life On The Road, I 11:14
06. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith - Life On The Road, II 14:02
07. Bessie Smith & Ruby Smith Bessie & Gertrude Saunders - Life On The Road, III 21:18