Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Today is April 15. Bessie Smith, the "Empress of the Blues," was born on this date in 1894. Ma Rainey, the first great blues singer, helped Smith break into show business. She made her first recording in February 1923. Smith died on Sept. 26, 1937, from injuries she suffered in a car accident in Clarksdale, Miss. Advertisement Looking at today's hip happenings... Jazz sensation Diana Krall was a big winner at "The 2002 Juno Awards," presented Sunday night at Mile One Stadium in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and airing live on CTV. Krall -- who performed a smoky rendition of "Cry Me A River" on the show -- won both Best Artist and Best Album ("The Look of Love") for her second and third Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys. On Saturday night, at the non-televised Premier's Gala and Awards, she picked up her first for Best Vocal Jazz Album ("The Look of Love"). (Web site: junos.sympatico.ca) Producer David Foster and legendary vocalist Shirley Horn will receive honorary Doctor of Music degrees from Berklee College of Music at the school's 2002 Commencement on May 11. Advertisement Foster will deliver the Commencement Address to about 600 graduates and 3,000 guests in ceremonies at the Reggie Lewis Track Center in Boston, AllAboutJazz.com reports. The evening before commencement, Berklee students will present a concert tribute to the honorees, performing selections from their careers. The 2002 Commencement Concert will be broadcast live on the Internet (at berklee.edu), beginning at 7:15 p.m. EDT. Previous Berklee honorary doctorate recipients include Duke Ellington, David Bowie, B.B. King, Patti LaBelle, Sting, James Taylor, Pat Metheny, Dizzy Gillespie, Carly Simon, Billy Joel, Bonnie Raitt, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen of Steely Dan, and alumnus Quincy Jones. (By UPI's Penny Nelson Bartholomew, sitting in for Ken Franckling)
