Billie and Dede Pierce, Preservation Hall

From the Preservation Hall Portrait series. Pierce, Joseph La Croix ("Dede") - b. February 18, 1904, New Orleans. Pierce, Wilhelmina ("Billie"), piano; b. June 8, 1907, Marianna, Fla. When Billie Pierce was fifteen and living in Pensacola, Bessie Smith, "Empress of Blues," played a week's engagement at the local theater. Bessie's regular accompanist, Clarence Williams, took sick and Billie, who already had a local reputation, replaced him with notable distinction. The Bessie Smith influence on Billie's vocal style since the days of this early triumph is still evident.