Ma Rainey’s Story

Ma Rainey was an extremely popular and influential Classic City blues singer in the early 1900s. She is known to be part of the first generation of singers to use authentic blues style in her songs, earning her the title of “Mother of the Blues.” Ma Rainey was born in Columbus, Georgia by the name of Gertrude Pridgett in April 1896. Ma Rainey, considered the first female blues singer, spent three decades performing the blues with her peak popularity in the blues era of the 1920s. Since there was not much blues influence in Columbus, her family’s Christian roots had a great deal of influence in her early music. It was not until she had traveled around the rural south that she was introduced to authentic blues, which she incorporated into her repertoire. She also spent a great deal of her career performing in Chicago and New Orleans.

Ma Rainey was often praised for her ability to capture the essence of blacks in the south, which gained her a great following. She recorded her first album in 1923 that included the classics “Bo-Weevil Blues” and “Moonshine Blues.” Her songs about love and sexuality coined her the nickname “Madame Rainey.” They told stories of heartbreak, promiscuity, the workplace, superstition and drinking, which were considered to reflect southern African-Americans life during this time. She died in 1939 in Rome, Georgia.

The first song I would like to talk about is “Daddy, Goodbye Blues,” which was released in 1928. First, I would like to talk about the text of this song. The song tells a story of her man leaving her, so he is actually the “daddy” she is referring to throughout the song. The verses have an A-B-C-B structure throughout, with each verse ending in the repeated phrase “Goodbye Goodbye/Daddy, Goodbye.” You can hear the sadness in her low vocals, contributing to the blues and jazzy feel of the song. The song begins with a harmonica and classic blues piano style playing. There seems to be an element of call and response happening between the two instruments that continues throughout the piece. If you pay close attention, you will notice the tempo of the piano playing switch from slow to quick throughout the song.

The second song I would like to discuss is “Cell Bound Blues,” recorded in 1924. Thinking back to the era in which this song was written, women did not have many rights or protections. African American women had even less of both. This song is about a woman who shoots and kills her abusive husband, as a result of him hitting her. In the song when she asks “Hey, hey, jailer, tell me what have I done,” I think this is a mixture of guilt and disbelief of what she had done. This is a common feeling for women in that situation. The musical style of this song exemplifies the blues in New Orleans. The use of the harmonica, saxophone, piano, and trumpet I believe contributed to this wonderful blues feel. Notice the part of the song where the lyrics say, “I walked in my room, the other night.” This is the part of the song where she explains what happened. The rhythm of the song changes slightly here for a dramatic effect. The trumpet plays a quick four notes then stops after each phrase.