Ma Rainey

Ma Rainey was named at birth as Gertrude Pritchett, and claims to have been born April 26, 1886 in Columbus, GA, however a later US census contradicts that claim. Rainey began performing professionally as a teenager, and by 1900 she was part of touring vaudeville acts. Rainey heard her first country blues performer whilst on the road and fell in love with the style. She began to incorporate the tune that she heard that night as an encore to her touring performances. She continued touring and incorporating the blues into her act, and then one night on the road she met a young Bessie Smith. From that point on Rainey became Smith’s mentor. Both Ma Rainey and Bessie were known for their bold attitudes and openness about their bisexuality. They both became known as early figures for the LGBT community and for black female empowerment. After touring for many years, Ma Rainey retired in New Orleans where she would still often play shows with New Orleans Jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong and King Oliver. She passed away from a heart attack in 1939.

1) “Trust No Man”

On the track Trust No Man Ma Rainey makes it clear that she doesn’t trust any man to be honest, and that no other woman should either. Sh tells anecdotes of a boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend and laments ever putting trust in someone like that. Towards the end of the track she goes as far as to say “Don’t trust nobody” which illustrates how her trust in others has been damaged by bad experiences. The pairing of Rainey narrow, howling vocals and the piano is fantastic, as most of the blues recording I’ve heard so far usually have a guitar and a voice as the instrumentation.

2) “Booze and Blues”

Booze and Blues is a drinking song that touches on a bit more than just liquor. Ma Rainey tells personal stories of her turning to the bottle when her significant other was put in prison, and how she was subsequently put in jail for 60 days. She then describes how long it felt to be in that cell without any booze with her to ease her blues. This song serves as a point of reference for how people of color are disproportionately persecuted by the police for substance use despite consuming at the same rate as all other ethnicities. Ma Rainey details how incarceration has affected her life and how it possibly affected her alcohol problem.

Bibliography

Russonello, Giovanni. “Overlooked No More: Ma Rainey, the ‘Mother of the Blues’.” The New York Times. June 12, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/obituaries/ma-rainey-overlooked.html.

“Ma Rainey.” Ma Rainey – New World Encyclopedia. Accessed July 27, 2020. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ma_Rainey.