By Jaclyn Breeze —
Gertrude Rainey, known as Ma Rainey was a singer born in Georgia in 1886. Called the “Mother of the Blues,” she combined vaudeville (a comedic theater style) and southern blues to create her own style that influenced many singers to come.
She started performing when she was around 14 years old at her church. She was married in 1904, and she and her husband Will Rainey started a blues group together. In the 1910s, there started to be a bigger demand for recordings, and in 1923 Ma Rainey signed a recording contract with Paramount. These recordings made her famous around the country and she started touring around the United States.
Ma Rainey was also special because she wrote many of her songs, unlike most singers, and she was a very theatrical singer. Her group often made double the earnings that other well-known groups were getting paid. When the blues started to go out of style, her recording label dropped her and she soon moved back to her hometown in Georgia and ran three theaters until the end of her life.
Her style is now known as “classic blues.” She has been inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, and there is a museum in her hometown and last home dedicated to her legacy. The museum developed the annual Ma Rainey International Blues Festival starting in 2016.
Honey, Where You Been So Long?
Early Recording:
At the time of Ma Rainey, recording was done on wax cylinders, also called Edison cylinders after their inventor, Thomas Edison. They were followed by wax discs, which would later be replaced by vinyl records, tapes, CDs, and now streaming. The cylinders were recorded on and played through a phonograph. The soundwaves would move a needle to create grooves on the cylinders that could be played back later. Songs had a time-limit of around 2-3 minutes at this time because the cylinder or disc could only record the length of the tube or disc face.
Video of Wax Cylinder Recording
Now, recording is much easier and most people have everything they need for it at home! Try recording a message or a song for a family member or friend on a phone, tablet, or computer. Phones and tablets usually come with a voice recorder installed, or you can download a Digital Audio Workstation like Garage Band, Reaper, or Audacity on the computer.
If you want, you can send your recording to us! We’d love to hear it 🙂
(you can send your recording to jaclyn@jazz901.org)
For the Parents: Netflix Movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Rated R)