NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ma Rainey

Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett Rainey, better known as Ma Rainey (April 26, 1886^[1] – December 22, 1939), was one of the earliest known American professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record.^[2] She was billed as The Mother of the Blues. She did much to develop and popularize the form and was an important influence on younger blues women, such as Bessie Smith, and their careers. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Columbus is a city in Muscogee County, Georgia, United States. ... is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Columbus is a city in Muscogee County, Georgia, United States. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Blues music redirects here. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Paramount Records was a United States based record label, best known for its recordings of African-American jazz and blues. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Blues music redirects here. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... The following alphabetical lists includes men and women commonly known as the father or mother of something. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

Career

Rainey was born in Columbus, Georgia.^[3] She first appeared on stage in Columbus in "A Bunch of Blackberries" at fourteen. She then joined a traveling vaudeville troupe, the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. After hearing a blues song at a theater in St. Louis, Missouri, sung by a local girl in 1902, she started performing in a blues style. She claimed at that time that she was the one who coined the name "blues" for the style that she specialized in. Musicians and singers who sang and played in the style said there were no such origins and that the blues had always been. A pioneer in the style, Bunk Johnson, said that in the 1880s the blues had already been developed.^[2] Columbus is a city in Muscogee County, Georgia, United States. ... This article is about the musical variety theatre. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area - City 66. ... Year 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Willie Gary Bunk Johnson ( 1879/1889â€“July 7, 1949) was a prominent early New Orleans jazz trumpet player in the early years of the 20th century who enjoyed a revived career in the 1940s. ...

She married fellow vaudeville singer William "Pa" Rainey in 1904, billing herself from that point as "Ma" Rainey. The pair toured with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels as "Rainey & Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues", singing a mix of blues and popular songs. In 1912, she took the young Bessie Smith into the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, trained her, and worked with her until Smith left in 1915. This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

Also known, though less discussed, is the fact that she was bisexual.^[4] She was arrested in Chicago in 1925 for hosting an ‘indecent party’ with a room full of semi-naked women. Rainey celebrated the lesbian lifestyle in "Prove It On Me Blues", but hid behind a cross-dressing man-hating persona that was quite distinct from her regular public image: In human sexuality, bisexuality describes a man or woman having a sexual orientation to persons of either or both sexes (a man or woman who sexually likes both sexes; people who are sexually and/or romantically attracted to both males and females). ...

In most of her songs, Ma projected herself as a passionate and often mistreated lover of men. In private, her preference was for young men. The poet Sterling Brown tells of approaching her as a fan with the musicologist John Work. She immediately propositioned them as she was having trouble with her young musicians. Brown wrote a moving poem about Ma Rainey and her huge popularity with Southern audiences.^[6] Ma Rainey, engraving from 1920s Paramount Records sleeve. ... Ma Rainey, engraving from 1920s Paramount Records sleeve. ... Sterlin Allen Brown was an influential African-American teacher, literary critic, and poet whose poetry was rooted in folklore sources and black dialect. ...

Ma Rainey was already a veteran performer with decades of touring in African-American shows in the U.S. Southern States when she made her first recordings in 1923. Rainey signed with Paramount Records and, between 1923 and 1928, she recorded 100 songs, including the classics "C.C. Rider" (aka "See See Rider") and "Jelly Bean Blues", the humorous "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", and the deep blues "Bo Weavil Blues". In her career, Rainey was backed by such noted jazz musicians as cornet players Louis Armstrong and Tommy Ladnier, pianists Fletcher Henderson and Lovie Austin, saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, and clarinetist Buster Bailey. Rainey recorded two vocal duets with Papa Charlie Jackson in 1928, which proved to be her last recordings; Paramount terminated her contract soon afterwards, claiming that her material had gone out of fashion.^[7] Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... The U.S. Southern states or the South, also known colloquially as Dixie, constitute a distinctive region covering a large portion of the United States, with its own unique heritage, historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Paramount Records was a United States based record label, best known for its recordings of African-American jazz and blues. ... Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... See See Rider, also known as C.C. Rider or See See Rider Blues, is a popular American blues song. ... Louis[1] Armstrong[2] (4 August 1901[3] â€“ July 6, 1971), nicknamed Satchmo[4] and Pops, was an American jazz musician. ... Tommy (Thomas J.) Ladnier (May 28, 1900 - June 4, 1939) was an American jazz trumpeter. ... Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. ... Lovie Austin (19 September 1887 - 10 July 1972[1]) was a popular and colorful figure of the 1920s Chicago Jazz and Blues scene. ... Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins, nicknamed Hawk and sometimes Bean, (November 21, 1901 or 1904 - May 19, 1969) was a prominent jazz tenor saxophone musician. ... William C. Buster Bailey (1902-1967) was a talented Jazz musician specializing in the clarinet. ... Papa Charlie Jackson was an early male bluesman to record. ...

Rainey's career dried up in the 1930s--as did the career of just about every other classic female blues singers of the previous decade. But her earnings were enough that she was able to retire from performing in 1933.^[8]
Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Death

Rainey returned to her hometown, Columbus, Georgia, where she ran two theaters, "The Lyric" and "The Airdrome",^[9] until her death from a heart attack in 1939.^[10] She was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1983, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.^[11] Columbus is a city in Muscogee County, Georgia, United States. ... Heart attack redirects here. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. ... For the Jimi Hendrix song, see 1983. ... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at sunset. ... This article is about the year. ...

Legacy

One year after Rainey's death, blues singer and guitarist Memphis Minnie recorded a tribute.^[12] Memphis Minnie McCoy (born June 3, 1897 - died August 6, 1973) was an American Blues musician. ...

French singer/song writer Francis Cabrel refers to Ma Rainey in the song "Cent Ans de Plus" on the 1999 album Hors-Saison. Cabrel cites the artist as one of a number of blues influences, including Charley Patton, Son House, Blind Lemon, Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Blind Blake, Willie Dixon, and Blues Boy Willie, whose father toured with Rainey. Francis Cabrel (born 23 November 1953 in Agen, France) is a French singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... Charley Patton Charley Patton (May 1, 1891–April 28, 1934) was an American delta blues musician, and one of the first mainstream stars of the genre. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Robert Johnson, born Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 â€“ August 16, 1938) is among the most famous of Delta blues musicians. ... Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 â€“ January 10, 1976), better known as Howlin Wolf or sometimes, The Howlin Wolf, was an influential blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. ... Blind Blake Blind Blake (born Arthur Blake, circa 1893, Jacksonville, Florida; died: circa 1933) was an influential blues singer and guitarist. ... Willie Dixons style of blues was one of the inspirations for a new generation of music, rock and roll. ...

American singer/songwriter Bob Dylan refers to Ma Rainey in the song "Tombstone Blues" on his 1965 album, Highway 61 Revisited. This article is about the recording artist. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Highway 61 Revisited is Bob Dylans sixth studio album, released in 1965 by Columbia Records. ...

The 1982 August Wilson play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom took its title from her song of the same name recorded before 1928, which ostensibly refers to the Black Bottom dance of the time. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... August Wilson August Wilson (April 27, 1945 â€“ October 2, 2005) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright. ... Ma Raineys Black Bottom is a 1982 play; one of a ten-play cycle by August Wilson that chronicles 20th Century African American experience. ... Black Bottom is a dance that was popularized in the 1920s in New York City during the Flapper era. ...

In 1994, the U.S. Post Office issued a Ma Rainey 29-cent commemorative postage stamp. Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... This article lists people who have been featured on United States postage stamps. ...

In 2004, her song "See See Rider Blues" (1925) was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame, and was included by the National Recording Preservation Board in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry in 2004.^[13] The board selects songs in an annual basis that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See See Rider, also known as C.C. Rider or See See Rider Blues, is a popular American blues song. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: Grammy Grammy Hall of Fame Award List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients A-D List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients E-I List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients J-P Alphabetical Listing by Title: Categories: Grammy Awards | Lists ... The United States National Recording Preservation Board selects recorded sounds for preservation in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ... Martin Luther King Jr. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b Note: this is the usually stated date, although there is some evidence she was in fact born in 1882 - see talk page.
^ ^a ^b Southern, Eileen (1997). The Music of Black Americans: A History, 3rd edition, W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-97141-4.
^ Find a Grave: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey
^ The Ma Rainey page. lambda.net (1997). Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
^ Ma Rainey. (Recorded in 1928). Prove It On Me (RAM) [Audio]. Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
^ Poetry Out Loud
^ Barlow, William. "Looking Up At Down": The Emergence of Blues Culture. Temple University Press (1989), p. 164. ISBN 0-87722-583-4.
^ Santelli, Robert. The Big Book of Blues, Penguin Books, page 387, (2001) - ISBN 0141001453
^ Lieb, Sandra R. Mother of the Blues: A Study of Ma Rainey, Univ of Massachusetts Press, Page 1, (1981) - ISBN 0870233947
^ Santelli, Robert. The Big Book of Blues, Penguin Books, page 387
^ Ma Rainey Induction Year: 1990
^ Memphis Minnie Ma Rainey. OK 08511
^ 2004 National Recording Registry choices

Eileen Jackson Southern (born 1920 in Minneapolis - died October 13, 2002 in Port Charlotte, Florida) was an African American musicologist, reasearcher, author and teacher. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

External links

The African American Registry (The Registry) is a non-profit educational resource for the learning community to supply teachers with the information, method, and materials to provide a solid educational background in Black history and heritage, in the sciences, business, the arts, and all facets of academics and life. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a large, comprehensive and high quality metadata database about music. ... Paramount Records was a United States based record label, best known for its recordings of African-American jazz and blues. ... The New Georgia Encyclopedia (NGE) is a free-content, web-based encyclopedia about the state of Georgia (U.S. state). ...

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