Comparing Ma Rainey's Life And Music

Ma Rainey was presumedly born Gertrude Pridgett on April 26, 1886 in Columbus, Georgia. As a young girl, her fascination with music began with singing in her church, and a talent show she entered at the age of 12. The majority of her first performances were in minstrel shows, which featured actors and musicians portraying African American stereotypes through song, dance, and theater. She first started performing the blues at the age of 16. Around this time she married husband Will Rainey, and together they formed their own touring minstrel company called "The Alabama Fun Makers," performing blues music together. 2 years later, when she was 18, Rainey and her husband joined a larger and more popular minstrel company called "Rabbit's Foot," and toured with them until 1914, when she was 24. That same year, the Rainey's broke off from the

Her style as a vocalist was powerful and energetic. She known for her lively performances, majestic phrasing, and the moan-like tonality of her singing. In 1923 she was discovered by Paramount records at the age of 37, and became the second black female in history to record for a record label. Because of Paramount's below average recording quality, the true, powerful sound of her voice was never fully captured on her records, but are the most prevalent and noticeable in her earliest recordings, "Bo-Weevil Blues" and "Moonshine Blues." Rainey made over 100 recordings for Paramount, and the company made sure to market her extensively, labeling her as "The Paramount Wildcat," "The Gold Neck Woman," "The Songbird of the South," and most impressively, "The Mother of the Blues," a nickname that stuck with Rainey forever. In 1924, at the peak of her career and fame, Rainey recorded several duets with Louis Armstrong, and embarked on a national tour with her band, performing for both black and white