Hello readers!

This is the first of two posts for the next module in my course. I chose to research Ma Rainey, a great early blues performer. Her birth name is Gertrude Pridgett and was born in 1886. In 1900 she was a performer at the Singer Opera House in the local talent show. She later moved on to bigger and better things. In 1912 she was in the Moses Stokes troupe and met Bessie Smith (spoiler alert: Bessie Smith is the subject of the next post!). While it is likely that Rainey mentored Smith to some degree, their styles are unique enough from each other that it is unlikely that she taught her much.

I want to move on to her legacy and what she stood for. Her messages were strong, clear, and were well received because she talked about the every day life of African-Americans. I liked this specific quote I came across in the source I have cited at the bottom in regards to the subjects she sang about, ” in short, the southern landscape of African-Americans in the Post-Reconstruction era.”(biography.com 2019) Her music inspired many poets and artists such as Langston Hughes. Ma Rainey was very true to herself and her culture. She commanded attention from her audiences and helped them really to feel her music and messages.

Biography.com Editors, Ma Rainey Biography, A&E Television Networks, April 2019, https://http://www.biography.com/musician/ma-rainey

The best way to get to know a singer is by looking at their music and how they send their messages. The first song I will talk about is Ma Rainey’s Bo-Weavil Blues. This is a standard 12 bar blues song. This is identifiable based on the lyric pattern of A-A-B. This is a great way to emphasize a few points while breaking up the monotony with a new line in each stanza. The music is at a moderate pace, I believe I hear piano and saxophone as the main instruments that support her tone of voice. I also hear a trumpet that fills in the silence. She has a strong timbre as her voice is very strong and conveys a lot of emotion; and the music has a wave-like contour to it.

The next song I wanted to discuss is called Shave ’em Dry: This is an 8 bar blues song. There is one line that is repeated throughout the song in each stanza at the end. The tempo is a little faster in this song than in Bo-Weavil Blues. The repetition is still present as in most blues, but it is not as in your face as a 12 bar blues. I would say that the range is around average, there aren’t any extreme high or low notes. The music that is accompanying her voice is rather bright at well. I believe I hear guitar as the main supporting sound.

With all that said, I do believe it is time to close this post. I learned a lot about Ma Rainey while i researched more about her and her music. She seems like she was a real inspiration during her time and well past her death. Stay tuned for the next post on Bessie Smith.

Thank you for taking the time to read and have a wonderful day!