“When Ma Rainey comes to town, folks from anyplace miles aroun’ from Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff flocks to hear Ma do her stuff,” read a poem by the legendary Sterling Brown. The Black and Blue: Music in Brown’s Ma Rainey 503 Words | 2 Pages. The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard. But it is her voice – … Sterling Allen Brown devoted his life to the development of an authentic black folk literature. Ma Rainey also didn’t need a man by her side to put on a great performance. Donaldson Collection/Contributor/Getty Images. In 1982, August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom won a Pulitzer Prize. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on other jazz vocalists. Thousan’s of people ain’t got no place to go. Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman (in his last role before his death), Taylour … Ma Rainey was an unapologetic icon and, even decades after her passing, she continues to pave the way for Black expression. Ma Rainey wasn’t the first blues singer. Luckily for her, another blues singer named Bessie Smith — who was also a bisexual woman — arrived to bail her out of jail. As they performed various routines with different minstrel troupes, they started to call themselves “Ma and Pa Rainey,” which is how she got her stage name. In just five years, she recorded more than 90 songs, many of which were national hits. “White folks hear the blues come out, but they don’t know how it got there,” the character of Ma Rainey says in Wilson’s show. Ma Rainey traveled to them with her troupe in a tour bus she’d bought herself and decorated with her name. Rainey was one of the earliest (her performances became popular in the first decade of the 1900’s) in the “Classic Blues” genre and was known also for her vaudeville performances. Ma Rainey often claimed that she was born on April 26, 1886, in Columbus, Georgia. Nicknamed The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. “There’ll never be another Black woman like Ma Rainey.”. An’ some folks sits dere waitin’ wid deir aches an’ miseries, Till Ma comes out before dem, a-smilin’ gold-toofed smiles. from my original 78-rpm disk, not a CD.Deep Moaning Blues (1928) MA RAINEYacc. As time went on, Rainey gradually incorporated more blues into her set. “The song was so strange and poignant that it attracted much attention. You sing ’cause that’s a way of understanding life.”. New movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – on Netflix now – gives the ‘Mother Of The Blues’, Ma Rainey, a little known figure with a huge legacy, her long-overdue moment in the spotlight. But despite the fame and the flashiness, Rainey stayed humble and kind to her loved ones and fans. And she quickly garnered a reputation as a performer. The Oscar-winning actress became larger than life Ma Rainey with the help of gold teeth, charcoal-like makeup, and a wig made of horsehair. “But Ma Rainey didn’t care, because she pulled in the crowds.”. In her latest film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Davis fully embodies the famous blues singer Ma Rainey in an explosive and memorable performance, which is sure to receive an Academy Award nomination,” says Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. Ma Rainey Gertrude ‘Ma’ Rainey not only deserved the title she earned as ‘Mother of the Blues’, she also claimed to have named the music the blues. And yet she still persevered to become the “Mother of the Blues” — paving the way for generations of artists who wanted to follow in her footsteps. Ma Rainey wasn’t afraid to dive into dark, taboo, and controversial topics in her music. She was billed as The Mother of the Blues. T’Aint Nobody’s Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s (2017) Illustration: Courtesy of Shoga Films. Property Value; dbo:Work/runtime: 3.316666666666667; dbo:abstract: The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard. Then, read about the Harlem Hellfighters, America’s Black war heroes who brought jazz to Europe. All of Wilson's plays hum with the sorrowful beauty of the blues but “Ma Rainey" is soaked through. “Ma Rainey,” from The Collected Poems of Sterling A. JOIN NOW. The song has long been associated with the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. “They said she was the ugliest woman in show business,” said Alberta Hunter, a fellow blues artist. Few could’ve predicted her rise. For the first time, many felt like the Black experience in America had its own distinct and authentic musical voice. But she has been widely credited as the first popular entertainer to incorporate the blues into her body of work. NetflixViola Davis as Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a Netflix movie released in December 2020. ‘Thundered an’ lightened an’ the storm begin to roll. “People it sure look lonesome since Ma Rainey been gone,” Memphis Minnie sang in a song she wrote for Rainey in 1944. It all started when a girl “came to the tent one morning and began to sing about the ‘man’ who had left her,” John Work wrote while recalling an interview with Rainey from the 1930s. Gertrude Pridgett Rainey, better known as Ma Rainey (Columbus, Georgia, April 26, 1886 – Columbus, Georgia, December 22, 1939), was one of the earliest known professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record. Brown About this Poet Sterling Allen Brown devoted his life to the development of an authentic black folk literature. She was a natural drawing card.”. Based on a Broadway play by August Wilson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom takes its title from one of Rainey’s tunes, about a raucous Roaring Twenties flapper … From the album "Before Bob Dylan: 100 Recordings Drawn from the Folk, Blues, Country, Gospel and Rock 'N' Roll Traditions Which Would Inspire Popular Music's Greatest Troubadour Who Transformed the Template for the Modern Song" by Memphis Minnie on Napster Rainey’s star appeared to be fading and, as it did, she returned to Georgia. Circa 1924-1925. “She jes’ catch hold of us, somekindaway. Backwater blues done called me to pack my things and go Backwater blues done called me to pack my things and go 'Cause my house fell down and I can't live there no more Mmm, I can't move no more Mmm, I can't move no more There ain't no place for a poor old girl to go. Nicknamed The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. Born in the American South, she was simply known as Gertrude Pridgett — and she wouldn’t take on her stage name of Ma Rainey for years to come. However, that flood was at its worst some two months after the song was written. At one point, she got married again to a younger man, but much about that relationship remains unknown — and it’s unclear how long it lasted. At the time, she was taking a huge risk doing this — especially as a Black woman. At the time, she had joined a stage show called “The Bunch of Blackberries” at the Springer Opera House in Columbus. Ma Rainey, American singer who was known as the ‘mother of the blues’ and was recognized as the first great professional blues vocalist. The song "Backwater Blues" is a blues and jazz standard. Affirming this communal approach to the music, Brown's revised version of "Backwater Blues" testifies to his self-reflexive desire for "Ma Rainey" to be part of this socially conscious blues tradition.Moreover, while the audience's response is not structurally built into blues songs, as Ted Gioia notes, the call-and-response trope, with its origins in communal African music, did not … After her father died in 1896, Rainey’s mother decided to work for the Central Railway of Georgia. Brown. In February 1923 she made her first recordings, including the classic “Down Hearted Blues,” which became an enormous success, selling more than two million copies. From collaborating with the likes of Louis Armstrong to training a young Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey helped breathe new life into a genre of music that has inspired some of the most iconic artists to date. Though she mostly retired from show business, she did spend a few years working as a theater proprietor in the area. In other words, she moves them, or touches them somehow. What she undoubtedly did was to create a style of performance — brazen, tough, funny and unabashedly carnal — that was the gold standard of its time and empowered female vocalists … It was written by Bessie Smith, and recorded (under the title "Back-water Blues") by her (vocals) and James P. Johnson (piano) on February 17, 1927. Study of … Her performances thrilled audiences, putting her on the path to become one of the early blues greats. Only, it's kind of hard to say. It was written by Bessie Smith, and recorded (under the title "Back-water Blues") by her (vocals) and James P. Johnson (piano) on February 17, 1927. Her deep contralto voice was a powerful instrument with which to convey the depth of her songs of everyday life and emotion, and she was renowned for her flamboyant performances. And it changed her life forever. Brown, edited by Michael S. Harper. [49] Ma Rainey's Black Bottom , a 1982 play by August Wilson , is a fictionalized account of the recording of her song of the same title in December 1927. This is clearly shown in the movie's musical namesake, "Ma Rainey's … Circa 1923. One might question why a book by a famous African-American radical about women blues singers is being reviewed in Appalachian Journal. Ma Rainey's songs expressed a sexual freedom and personal livelihood in Black women's lives that was hardly celebrated, let alone widely broadcast before. Bill Desowitz Jan 29, 2021 5:30 pm Exclusive Excerpt: This Documentary Explores the Real-Life Blues Behind Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. In hits like “Bad Luck Blues,” “Bo-Weavil Blues,” “See Rider Blues,” “Jelly Bean Blues,” and “Moonshine Blues,” Rainey sang about prostitution, drunkenness, domestic violence, murder, and abandonment. “I traveled with her almost four years. Set in Chicago 1927, it’s the only one that takes place outside Pittsburgh. Before she was Ma Rainey, she was born Gertrude Pridgett, the second of five children to Thomas and Ella Pridgett. Although Ma Rainey occasionally found herself in hot water, her fans adored her and Paramount labeled her as the “Songbird of the South.” As the record money poured in, concerts across the country sold out. Brown. The group would goof around on tour, once stopping on the side of the road to serenade some cows. Ma Rainey “The Mother of the Blues” Ma Rainey was born Gertrude Pridgett in 1886 in Columbus, Georgia. Starring: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman. She sang Backwater Blues one day: ... Ma Rainey By Sterling A. She separated from her husband in 1916 and started touring with a show that put her front and center: Madam Gertrude Ma Rainey and Her Georgia Smart Set. She was billed as The Mother of the Blues. The song has long been associated with the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The 1900 census indicates that Bessie … Bowed dey heavy heads, shet dey moufs up tight an’ cried, An’ Ma lef’ de stage, an’ followed some de folks outside.”. Ma Rainey and her band in Chicago. Michael Ochs Archives/Stringer/Getty ImagesMa Rainey and the Georgia Jazz Band pose for a group shot. But her legacy lives on to this day. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is unique in the Century Cycle. She is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and, along with Louis Armstrong, a major influence on other jazz vocalists. An’ Long Boy ripples minors on de black an’ yellow keys. 191. But with the evolution of film in the 1930s, ticket sales began to dwindle. Some scholars have said Rainey influenced younger performers, such as Bessie Smith, the blues … However, a 1900 census entry showed that her birthday was in September 1882 and her birthplace was somewhere in Alabama. The legend goes that when Bessie was a young teen, she was kidnapped and dropped at Ma’s feet in a potato sack. During a recording session, tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable "Mother of the Blues". Tensions and temperatures rise at a Chicago music studio in 1927 when fiery, fearless blues singer Ma Rainey joins her band for a recording session. The poem references “Backwater Blues,” beginning with the following line: … She is also known as the first “great” female blues vocalist. Before she was Ma Rainey, she was born Gertrude Pridgett, the second of five children to Thomas and Ella Pridgett. The song has long been associated with the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The poem was about a performer named Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett, who became—after marriage, on the stage—“Ma Rainey.” She was a blues singer. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom review – Chadwick Boseman glorious in his final film role 4 / 5 stars 4 out of 5 stars. The song has long been associated with the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. A scene from a production of August Wilson’s play, the troubled lives of America’s blind bluesmen, the Harlem Hellfighters, America’s Black war heroes who brought jazz to Europe. The song is quoted in the poem, "Ma Rainey" by Sterling A. In 1923, Rainey signed with Paramount Record Company. National Endowment for the HumanitiesA scene from a production of August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Bessie once bailed Ma out after she hosted a lesbian party. Ma Rainey was the first popular stage entertainer to incorporate authentic blues into her song repertoire. The song is quoted in the poem, "Ma Rainey" by Sterling A. Ma Rainey wasn't just the Mother of American Blues, she was one of America's first lesbian lyricists I provide my students with some biographical info on Rainey, then before we do anything else, we listen to a recording of “Backwater Blues”—typically, Bessie Smith’s rendition, which is the most well … This fan tells us that "She jes' catch hold of us, somekindaway." Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, a movie adaptation of August Wilson's play starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, came to Netflix on December 18.; Set in 1920s Chicago, the play follows a day in the life of Ma Rainey, a blues singer, and her band. from my original 78-rpm disk, not a CD.Deep Moaning Blues (1928) MA RAINEYacc. Though she isn’t a household name today, Ma Rainey was one of the most revered blues artists of her time. In just five years, she recorded more than 90 songs, many of which were national hits. Brown About this Poet Sterling Allen Brown devoted his life to the development of an authentic black folk literature. Sure, there are … Meet Ma Rainey, The ‘Mother Of The Blues’ Who Fought For Her Voice In Jim Crow America, Mo’Nique talks about playing Ma Rainey in the 2015 HBO movie, The Dark Side Of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., The Patriarch Of The Kennedy Family, Allied Forces Knew About The Holocaust Years Before Official Account, Just-Released Documents Show, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Michael Ochs Archives/Stringer/Getty Images. ‘Den I went an’ stood upon some high ol’ lonesome hill, An’ looked down on the place where I used to live.’. These are the words Ma Rainey uses to describe her white record producers in new Netflix film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, based on the life of trailblazing blues singer Gertrude Pridgett. While Ma Rainey certainly wasn’t the most famous blues artist to ever live, her influence on other artists cannot be understated. The song has long been … Reprinted by permission of Jacqueline M. Combs. By 1990, Rainey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But Ma Rainey had a different career in mind for herself — even at a young age. It was written by Bessie Smith, and recorded (under the title "Back-water Blues") by her (vocals) and James P. Johnson (piano) on February 17, 1927. About 1913 Smith toured with Ma Rainey, one of the first of the great blues singers, and afterward traveled through the South singing in tent shows and bars and theatres. https://www.biography.com/news/bessie-smith-ma-rainey-biography In 1904, she married fellow vocalist and performer Will Rainey and they soon began to tour together as a duo. ... "Ma Rainey… She performed publicly for the very first time in 1900. "Backwater Blues" Single by Bessie Smith & Jimmy Johnson; B-side "Preachin' the Blues" Recorded: February 17, 1927 (), New York, NY: Genre: Blues: Length: 3: 19: Label: … And yet she still persevered to … Ma Rainey, American singer who was known as the ‘mother of the blues’ and was recognized as the first great professional blues vocalist. 3. Rainey was already a seasoned performer by the time she made her first recordings in 1923, and though she only recorded for six years she cut over 100 songs, many of which went on to become blues classics. Directed by George C. Wolfe. Trouble taken place in de lowlands at night. “They don’t understand that’s life’s way of talking. Album Paramount Projects Volume 2 Part 1 (1924) Walking Blues Lyrics [Verse 1] Woke up this morning, up this morning With my head bowed down, hey, hey, hey Ma Rainey became so interested in it that she learned the song from the visitor and used it soon afterward in her act as an encore.”. She called everyone “sugar,” “honey,” and “baby.”. Donaldson Collection/Contributor/Getty ImagesMa Rainey with an unidentified man. Tonja Renée Stidhum . And as she traveled, she heard other artists picking up the style and incorporating it into their sets as well. It was written by Bessie Smith, and recorded (under the title "Back-water Blues") by her (vocals) and James P. Johnson (piano) on February 17, 1927. Oscar winner Viola Davis is the Mother of the Blues opposite Chadwick Boseman in this adaptation of August Wilson's play. In 1925, Ma Rainey was arrested in her house in Harlem for having a lesbian party, … Even some white people came to see her shows, which were among the first to be integrated in the Jim Crow South. By Angela Y. Davis (New York: Pantheon Books, 1998) $27.50, cloth. And Ma Rainey was the face of it. Circa 1923. Copyright © 1980 by Sterling A. Ma Rainey and the Georgia Jazz Band pose for a group shot. Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman (in his last role before his death), Taylour Paige, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman and more comes to Netflix on Friday, Dec. 18 and like many dramatized biopics, the much-anticipated film may incite your eagerness to learn more about the real woman behind the film. In 1925, she was arrested by the Chicago police after being caught in the midst of a “sexual dalliance” or “lesbian orgy” with a group of women. A poet, critic, and teacher at Howard University for 40 years, Brown was one of the first people to identify folklore as a vital component of the black aesthetic and to recognize... Read Full Biography. As one of the first famous African American blues artists, Ma Rainey cemented her place in music history in the 1920s. Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer.