Bessie Smith was known as the "Empress of the Blues". I changed the color of the dress to red to portray the singer's passion for life. She was known to defy convention with her ferocious appetite for both men and women and alcohol. She was a big woman with a big temper and the Prince of Wales at the time said that there were only two truly regal women in the world: his mother (Queen Mary)and Bessie Smith.