Bessie Smith and the Night Riders

Written by Sue Stauffacher and Illustrated by John

Holyfield
It seemed like the whole town of Concord held its breath the day Bessie Smith rolled
into the station. Bessie was the most famous blues singer in all the South, maybe
even the whole world. (1)
I wanted to be the very first to see Bessies train car, the one made special just for
her. Folks said it was twice as big and three times as fine as the one the rich folks rode
in from Atlanta. And there it was, cutting through the dust. Then, just like a dream,
Bessie swung off the top step in a red dress and a feather boa. She looked over us and
sang like her heart was breaking. (2)
Ive got the blues,
I feel so lonely
Ill give the world if I could only
Make you understand
It surely would be grand.

Flicking her feather boa over her shoulder, she shouted to the crowd, It surely would
be grand to see every one of yall at the show. I pressed my hands to my hot cheeks.
Folks poked me, stepped on my feet, but I didnt feel a thing except Bessies words
wrapping themselves around me. Oh, I had a powerful urge to see Bessie sing that
night. But a girl needed shoes, a Sunday dress, and change in her pocket to see the
Empress of the Blues-no, Bessie wouldnt sing to raggedy ole Emmarene Johnson. (3)
Bessie and her troupe set up their tent on the edge of town. That night, I hid myself in
the woods and watched as every single ticket was sold. When the last man crushed
his cigar in the dirt and went inside, I snuck right up close. And when I was sure no
one was looking, I pulled back the tent flap for just one peek. The band was taking the
stage. Men practically jumped out of their seats to get the first look. And there she
was, waving that feather boa and singing Whoa, Tillie, Take your time. You might not
think the crowd would fancy a gal as big as Bessie, but when she came on stage in
her sequined dress and her strings of pretty pearls, every eye was on Bessie Smith.
(4)
That band could play something fierce and Bessie Belted out one song after the other:
Gimme a Pigfoot, Lady Luck Blues, You Dont Understand, and Ticket Agent,
Ease Your Window Down. Just as she finished singing Im out here for trouble, Ive
got the Black Mountain Blues, I heard a strange sound outside.(5)

I peeked around the side of the tent and waited for my eyes to get used to the
darkness. Thats when I saw em, two figures covered in white sheets working tent
stakes out of the earth. The Night Riders had come for Bessie!(6)
I shook my head to keep my thinking straight. Only one thing Night Riders were good
for, and that was trouble. Somebody had to warn Bessie. I ran past the lanterns at the
entrance to the tent and rushed toward the stage. The music stopped. (7)
Its the Night Riders, Bessie, I managed to gasp. (8)
Some folks run from trouble. Not Bessie. She headed right past me and toward the
opening of the tent. When we stepped outside, we saw that a dozen men on
horseback had joined the other two. They held their torches high and stared at Bessie.
(9)
Yall best get ready to meet your maker, a voice shouted out. Thats when I realized
those men were planning to burn Bessies tent to the ground with all those black folks
inside. That didnt sit too well with Bessie. She started cussing up a blue streak.(10)
You just pick up them sheets and run, she hollered, if you know whats good for
you! (11)
But then, she seemed to understand this called for more than shouting. So she
stopped all that and stood still for a minute. She started flapping her arms real slow.
And she gave one of those low moans she was so famous for, a moan that said, I
may be down and out, but I aint gonna take it no more. Her dress shimmered in the
light of all that fire as she ran toward the Night Riders. Folks said afterward Bessie
looked like a pearly-bright phoenix bird rising up to the Promised Land. (12)
I bet those horses never seen anything like Bessie that night. The lead mans horse
reared right up. His torch grazed the poor animals behind and set it off like a
firecracker, straight into the line of horses. They bolted, too. Other torches got
dropped. A couple of sheets caught fire. By then, the Klansmen were yelping up a
storm as they took off, back into the woods. It was a funny sight, but nobody laughed.
No, Bessie, she stood still, breathing heavy. She waited a long while, looking up at the
stars. (13)
Finally, she turned around, walked straight up to me, and took my hand. Bessie led me
to a seat up front. The audience was still in some shock, so Bessies first job was to
put some backbone in em. She sang Taint Nobodys Bizness, and I Aint Gonna
Play No Second Fiddle. And they clapped and they shouted. Because she drew the
trouble from their souls with her big voice, and sent those troubles flying over the
treetops, free on the night air. (14)
No, sir, Ill never forget the night that Bessie Smith scared off the Night Riders. That
was the night I learned you can look the devil in the eye and spit on the ground. That
was the night I decided that if Bessie Smith wasnt gonna take no mess, then neither
was Emmarene Johnson. (15)

Bessie Smith
Authors Note: Non-Fiction Account of
The Night Riders
While this story is dressed up a little for dramatic effect, it is
based on a true event that occurred in July 1927. Throughout
the first half of the 1900s, a group calling themselves the Klu
Klux Klan terrorized Southern blacks [people of color] and the
whites who sympathized with them. Covered in white sheets,
they often did their work at night (hence, the nickname Night
Riders), setting fire to homes and lynching men accused of
false crimes. Most decent folks couldnt even think about the
Klan without shivering in their shoes. (1)
At the time
the story
takes place,
Bessie Smith traveled with her revue, The
Harlem Frolics, in a custom- made train car
that took them all over the South. This
made life a lot easier for Bessie, since there
were few hotels that would accept black
performers. They could carry their own
tent- the longest pole just fit down the
center aisle-instruments, and vending
equipment, as well as sleep, eat, and relax
there. The car had seven state rooms, a
kitchen and bathroom with hot and cold
On that July evening, the performers had set
up for the night near the city of Concord,
North Carolina. The electric generator they
used to light up the stage was creating
additional heat that, together with the stifling
temperatures of the July evening, made some
of the performers sick. One of the musicians
knew he was close to passing out, so he
stepped out to get some air. There, around a
corner of the tent, he saw half a dozen
Klansmen pulling up the tent stakes. What
they intended to do exactly, nobody knows,
but they were certainly trying to collapse the
tent. Luckily, the Klansmen did not see him
and he ran back to the stage and told Bessie,
who had just finished a set. (3)

running water, and bunks below that slept

up to thirty-five people. (2)

As the audience hollered for her to return and

sing some more, Bessie ordered the prop
boys to follow and found the Klansmen. As
soon as the prop boys saw the hooded men,
they ran off, but Bessie ran toward the Klan,
pulled herself up to her full six feet height,
and demanded to know just what they
thought they were doing. According to
eyewitness reports, Bessie cursed and
shouted for quite some time, ending with:
You just pick up them sheets and run. After
a moment of astonished silence, the hooded
figures turned around and disappeared into
the darkness. Bessie finished off by finding
the prop boys and telling them: You aintt
nothing but a bunch of sissies.
(4)

Then she went back into the tent and mounted the stage as if history had not been made on
that July evening. Her selfless act of heroism may have saved hundreds of innocent lives that
night. (5)

Questions: Use the text and the Constructed Response Model to answer the following
questions.
1. In Bessie Smith and the Night Riders, the fictional childrens book account, what does
the following quote/story detail (excerpt) reveal about each character? Use the
constructed response model to answer each question in complete sentences.
a. Bessie Smith- Then, just like a dream, Bessie swung off the top step in

a red dress and a feather boa. She looked over us and sang like her
heart was breaking. Flicking her feather boa over her shoulder, she
shouted to the crowd, It surely would be grand to see every one of yall
at the show.
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b. Emmarene Johnson- Oh, I had a powerful urge to see Bessie sing

that night. But a girl needed shoes, a Sunday dress, and change in her
pocket to see the Empress of the Blues-no, Bessie wouldnt sing to
raggedy ole Emmarene Johnson.

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c. Emmarene Johnson- That night, I hid myself in the woods and watched

as every single ticket was sold. When the last man crushed his cigar in
the dirt and went inside, I snuck right up close. And when I was sure no
one was looking, I pulled back the tent flap for just one peek.

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d. Bessie Smith- Some folks run from trouble. Not Bessie. She headed

right past me and toward the opening of the tent.

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2. Which event changes the story, introducing the conflict? Cite evidence from the text
and support your answer.
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3. What is the theme of the story Bessie Smith and the Night Riders? Support your answer
using evidence from the text and the constructed response model.
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4. What does the following sentence reveal about the authors opinion of physical
attributes of women: You might not think the crowd would fancy a gal as big as

Bessie, but when she came on stage in her sequined dress and her strings of
pretty pearls, every eye was on Bessie Smith.
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5. What type of figurative language is the author using and what is its impact when she
writes, Folks poked me, stepped on my feet, but I didnt feel a thing except

Bessies words wrapping themselves around me.? Explain using the

constructed response model.

6.

7.

8.

9.

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After reading the non-fiction account of these events, why did the author choose to tell
this story from the perspective of Emmarene Johnson instead of one of her fellow
troupe members? What is the impact upon the story?
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The author of the non-fiction account reveals their opinion of Bessie and her actions
that night. What is the authors tone towards Bessies role in these events? How do you
know?
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What is your definition of the Blues?
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Consider this quote from the picture book, And they clapped and they shouted.

Because she drew the trouble from their souls with her big voice, and sent those
troubles flying over the treetops, free on the night air. Using this quote define
the Blues.

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10.
How does this excerpt from the story contribute to the development of the
storys theme?

No, sir, Ill never forget the night that Bessie Smith scared off the Night Riders.
That was the night I learned you can look the devil in the eye and spit on the
ground. That was the night I decided that if Bessie Smith wasnt gonna take no
mess, then neither was Emmarene Johnson.

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