W hen August Wilson first heard a recording of Bessie Smith singing “Nobody in Town Can Bake a Sweet Jelly Roll Like Mine”, he wrote later, “the universe stuttered and everything fell to a new place.” It was 1965, and he was a dish-washing poet of 20 with grand ambitions and a sense of injustice. In Smith’s proud, mournful voice, he heard a way to hold onto the past while moving forward; to rue fate yet embrace life. The blues, he thought, “is the best literature black Americans have”. Through the music he found what became his voice as a playwright.
当奥古斯特·威尔逊（August Wilson）首先听到贝西·史密斯（Bessie Smith）唱歌时，他唱着“镇上没有人能像我一样烤甜果冻卷”时，后来写道：“宇宙结结巴巴，一切都落在了一个新地方。”那是1965年，他是一位洗碗的诗人，有20岁，充满野心和不公正感。在史密斯自豪，悲痛的声音中，他听到了一种前进时坚持过去的方法。为了命运而拥抱生活。他认为，蓝调是“黑人美国人拥有的最好的文献”。通过音乐，他找到了作为剧作家的声音。
