1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio, 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: show that belts out the greatest hits of history every 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: day of the week. I'm Gay Bluesier, and in this episode, 5 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 1: we're looking at the life and times of Ma Rainey, 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: one of the most influential musical artists of the early 7 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: twentieth century. She's often called the Mother of the blues, 8 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: not because she invented the genre, but because she nursed 9 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: it with her own pain and talent. The day was 10 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: April twenty sixth, eighteen eighty six. Legendary blues singer Ma 11 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: Rainey was born in Columbus, Georgia. Of course, she wasn't 12 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: called Ma just yet, and she wasn't a Rainie either. 13 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: Her birth name was Gertrude Melissa Nix Pretty, and her 14 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: parents were Thomas and Ella Pridgett. Her grandmother and both 15 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: her parents were singers, and Gertrude began performing herself at 16 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: an early age. She made her first public appearance at 17 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: age fourteen, when she sang in a local talent show 18 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: called Bunch of Blackberries at the Springer Opera House in Columbus. 19 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,919 Speaker 1: Her hometown was a good place to launch a singing career, 20 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: as Columbus was a major riverport and also a stop 21 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: on the vaudeville and minstrel circuits. Not long after her 22 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: debut at the Talent Show, Gertrude joined up with one 23 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: of those traveling acts and began performing at tent shows, 24 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: honkey talks, and carnivals throughout the South. In nineteen o four, 25 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: when she was eighteen years old, Gertrude met and married 26 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: a fellow performer named William paw Rainey. Soon after, the 27 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: couple formed a double act called Ma and paw Rainey, 28 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: and then they spent the next several years touring as 29 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: a song and dance team in the South, the Midwest, 30 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: and Mexico. It was during her time on the road 31 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: that Ma Rainy first heard in early form of the blues. 32 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: The style had been developing in the southern US since 33 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,119 Speaker 1: the end of the Civil War and was especially popular 34 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: among poor black laborers. Many early blues songs followed a 35 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: call and response pattern, a characteristic shared with the storytelling 36 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: songs of West Africa. The use of so called blue 37 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: notes or worried notes was another common feature, and the 38 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: lyrics of blues songs often expressed the plight of sharecroppers 39 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 1: and Southern blacks and powerful emotional detail. Rainy fell in 40 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:37,359 Speaker 1: love with the blues and began incorporating it into her 41 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 1: stage shows, blending it with early jazz and her own 42 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:44,919 Speaker 1: personal style. The Rainies eventually parted ways in nineteen sixteen, 43 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: and that's when Ma Raini's solo career really took off. 44 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: She didn't go it completely alone, though. Instead she started 45 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: her own touring performance group called Madame Gertrude Ma Rainey 46 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: and her Georgia Smart Set. Her shows typically lasted two 47 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: hours and featured a little bit of everything. They usually 48 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 1: began with a few jazz numbers by the band, followed 49 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: by a chorus line performance and a handful of comedy routines. Then, 50 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: for the main event, Ma Rainie would take the stage 51 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 1: and deliver energetic, straight talking songs like I Ain't Got Nobody, 52 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: a Good Man is Hard to Find and her favorite 53 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: encore c C Rider Blues. Rainie wouldn't record any of 54 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: her songs until nineteen twenty three, nearly twenty years into 55 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: her career. But let's jump ahead for a second and 56 00:03:31,400 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: hear a clip from one of her most famous songs, 57 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: Rainy's performances had wide appeal and often drew a racially 58 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:22,799 Speaker 1: diverse crowd, though black and white audience members were always 59 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: seated separately due to segregation. The singer was renowned for 60 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 1: her lavish stage presence, including her famous gold teeth, glitzy costumes, 61 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: and dangling jewelry, but the main draw, of course, was 62 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: Raine's raw and passionate singing. Her deep contralto voice and 63 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: trademark moaning style perfectly captured the mood of the Southern 64 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: landscape in the nineteen twenties, and the same was true 65 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: of her lyrics. Raine's blues told straightforward stories about day 66 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: to day living, touching on everything from the highs and 67 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: lows of life on the road to the bittersweet pleasures 68 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 1: of promiscuity and drinking binges. The honest emotion she poured 69 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: into her music quickly endeared her to audiences throughout the South, 70 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: and other performers took notice as well. In the years ahead, 71 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: Rainy became a mentor to another pioneering blues singer named 72 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: Bessie Smith. The two were rumored to have a romantic relationship, 73 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:18,920 Speaker 1: but whatever the case, it's clear that Rainey had an 74 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: influence on Smith's vocal style. Likewise, Rainey is credited with 75 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 1: inspiring many later singers as well, including Dinah Washington, Big 76 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,360 Speaker 1: Mama Thornton, and even Janis Joplin. In that way, Ma 77 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: Rainey not only contributed to the development and popularity of 78 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: the blues, but to R and B, pop and rock 79 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: as well. In nineteen twenty, vaudeville singer Mamie Smith recorded 80 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 1: the first blues record in history. Then just three years later, 81 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: Ma Rainey signed a contract with Paramount Records and got 82 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:53,719 Speaker 1: to work recording her own. Over the next five years, 83 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 1: she recorded roughly ninety two songs for Paramount, including the 84 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:00,440 Speaker 1: first ever recording of C. C Ryder, as well as 85 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: other original songs such as Sleep Talking Blues, Trust No Man, 86 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: and Slow Driving Moan. Rainy is believed to have remarried 87 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 1: during her recording years in Chicago, but very little is 88 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:15,039 Speaker 1: known about her second husband or how long their marriage 89 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 1: may have lasted. Many of Rainy's songs reference love affairs 90 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: with men, but she was also rumored to have had 91 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: relationships with women, and some of her lyrics seem to 92 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: confirm as much. For example, take the nineteen twenty eight 93 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: song prove it on me, in which Rainy boasts about 94 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: going out with women and wearing men's clothes. Take a listen, 95 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:40,560 Speaker 1: not last nice little cloud of my friends and what 96 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: sad women? How I don't like momies? Get too a welcome? 97 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: Had a pod make a lesson? Oh widness? Yeah, nobody met. 98 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,279 Speaker 1: Ma Rainey continued to travel and perform across the South, 99 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: but by the late nineteen twenties, other styles of music 100 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: had begun to steal the spotlight from the blues. In 101 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty eight, Paramount canceled Rainy's recording contract, telling the 102 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: singer that quote down home material has gone out of fashion. 103 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: Rainy continued to sing in public anyway until nineteen thirty five, 104 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,560 Speaker 1: at which point she retired to her hometown following the 105 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 1: death of her sister and mother. She moved in with 106 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:37,600 Speaker 1: her brother and became active in the Friendship Baptist Church, 107 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:41,200 Speaker 1: where he served as a deacon. Rainy also owned and 108 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: managed two theaters, one right there in Columbus and another 109 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: in nearby Rome, Georgia. Sadly, she didn't get to enjoy 110 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,880 Speaker 1: her retirement for long. Ma Rainey died of a heart 111 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: attack on December twenty second, nineteen thirty nine, at the 112 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 1: age of fifty three. Rainie's passing came just as her 113 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: work was being rediscovered by collectors and critics. In the 114 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: decades that followed, her contributions to the blues earned her 115 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 1: a slew of posthumous honors. She was inducted into the 116 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: Blues Hall of Fame in nineteen eighty three, the Rock 117 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: and Roll Hall of Fame in nineteen ninety, and the 118 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: Georgia Music Hall of Fame in nineteen ninety two. Her 119 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 1: life also inspired other great works of art, including August 120 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 1: Wilson's nineteen eighty two stage play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, 121 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: the title of which was a nod to the black 122 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 1: bottom dance craze of the nineteen twenties. The early phonograph 123 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: recordings Rainy left behind may not do full justice to 124 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: her rugged vocal style, but there's more than enough emotional 125 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: appeal and raw power in her voice to keep listeners 126 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: coming back for more, even after all this time. That's 127 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: because Ma Rainey knew better than most that to sing 128 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: the blues is to sing your story. When she sang hers, 129 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: people couldn't help but listen, and today, more than a 130 00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: century later, they still can't. I'm Gabe Lucier and hopefully 131 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:06,760 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 132 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. You can learn even more about history 133 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 1: by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at TDI 134 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: HC Show, and if you have any comments or suggestions, 135 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: you can always drop us a line by writing to 136 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:24,679 Speaker 1: this Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays 137 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 1: and Ben Hackett for producing the show, and thanks to 138 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 139 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: for another day in history class.