The story of Ma Rainey: the legendary "Mother of the Blues" and the stages of her formation

Ma Rainey is an American singer, one of the first professionally recorded blues performers… “Mother of the Blues” – she deserved her title: Rainey began her musical career in her teens, and during the 20s she recorded more than 100 songs! She adopted a well-known pseudonym (real name Gertrude Pridgett) after she married Will Rainey in 1904. A distinctive feature of Ma Rainey has always been her unique voice: very strong vocals and a unique manner of performance, close to the folk traditions of African Americans ... The singer continued to tour until the mid-30s, after which she settled in her native Columbus. There, the blues legend spent her last days: in December 1939, the "Mother of the Blues" died of a heart attack. Much later, she would be inducted into the Blues and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Getting started

Although her recording career lasted only five years, it was enough for Ma Rainey to create a legacy that went far beyond music... blues."

The daughter of minstrel singers, Ma Rainey (real name Gertrude Pridgett) began her career as a singer and dancer in show tents. Her fame began to grow in 1900, when the girl was 14 years old: it was then that she began performing in vaudeville. By the time she married William "Pa" Rainey in 1904 and adopted her famous stage name, Ma was one of South America's hottest stars...

The traditional vaudeville of the period was comedy pantomime, elaborate dancing and singing. Having stumbled upon the blues while touring the South, Rainey fell in love with the music and incorporated it into her repertoire. This gave her performances a mixture of provincial and cosmopolitan style... Ma and Pa Rainey toured with the Rabbit's Foot Minstrel in cabaret and tent shows in the South, performing with Tolliver's Circus and Musical Extravaganza! So, Rainey smoothly moved from a traditional vaudeville to a blues performer ... There was a rare strength, pride and energy in her voice. She delighted the audience with her "groaning" singing technique and charming character on stage. But it was her ability to capture the essence of the blues that made her one of the genre's first big superstars.

Career, art...

After her marriage to Pa ended in 1916, Ma began touring with her own group, Madam Gertrude Ma Rainey and her Georgia Smart Sets. Due to her success on tour, her solo shows became integrated in 1917. This allowed the white audience to hear songs about the Black Southern experience, including tales of family life ("Jelly Bean Blues") and racial incarceration ("Chain Gang Blues"). Ma's independence allowed her to carve out a space and make it aesthetically authentic. Known for her effervescent personality both on and off stage, she often wore long dresses and sparkling diamonds. She had gold caps on her teeth that were said to gleam when she sang. Both her work and her individual expression have, and continue to, reflect joy and pride in impeccable packaging... This image is perhaps the most enduring aspect of her legacy.

Songs written by the artist himself often depict the subject of his personal experiences and hardships ... As you might expect, Ma's songs speak of grief, love and drama. She sings about strained relationships in "The All Night Long Blues". In her songs, the woman intends to take revenge on the former fiery man (just listen to "Oh Daddy Blues"). She sings about the murder of her lover's mistresses...

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Ma Rainey also made no apologies for her bisexuality, which became a hallmark of her lyrical content in her solo years. Although it was never discussed openly, she boldly mentioned her eccentricity without fear of repercussions. Ma hints at her same-sex penchant for "Prove It On Me Blues": "Went out last night with a bunch of my friends. It must have been women because I don't like men"... She also subtly references this in "Shave 'Em Dry Blues". Given the region of America where Ma's career flourished—where civil rights and equality hardly seemed possible—a black woman singing about a taboo subject like sexuality was revolutionary.

Major years

By the time Ma Rainey signed with Paramount Records in 1923, she was already a veteran of the music industry. When she arrived at the recording studio, she passed the audition with top-notch professionalism! And when it came time to record, Ma worked with a Georgia jazz band: pianist Thomas A. Dorsey and trumpeter Louis Armstrong, whose unique style is said to have been influenced by Rainey... And he wasn't the only one! Many other black blues vocalists, such as Bessie Smith and Big Jo Williams, obviously borrowed elements of the Mother of the Blues style ... In fact, just listen to almost any jazz and rock singer of those years, and you will hear shades of Ma Rainey ...

The music recorded at Paramount was intended specifically for African Americans. In the beginning, the label's goal was to produce music as cheaply as possible, resulting in records with poor production and sound... Due to Paramount's sub-par recording methods, Rainey's recordings were heavily grainy and muffled. Flaws in her sound could have affected her popularity and notoriety.

However, she recorded nearly 100 songs in five years, including the jazzy "Bo-Weavil Blues" and "See See Rider," a tune about an unfaithful lover. By the way: "See See Rider" was subsequently covered by Elvis Presley and The Animals decades after its original release! And what she lacked in sound quality, Ma made up for with a true blues vibe. She didn't let Paramount dictate her sound! She remained true to herself, completely in control of the genre and its trappings, despite the fact that the label may have wanted otherwise ... However, in 1928, Paramount ceased to consider her style of vaudeville fashionable, and the contract was terminated.