Ma Rainey: Mother of the Blues

Gertrude Pridgett "Ma Rainey: Mother of the Blues" died at the age of 53 in 1939.  Ma was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia.  She was the first, the grande dame, a savvy business woman, "the boss of it all"(as Honeyboy Edwards relayed it to me) and most definitely a pioneer blues artist.  In 1902 it was Ma who introduced 'the blues' to as part of her travelling minstrel act although WC Handy is credited with this honor.  (He actually 'discovered' the blues in 1904 in Tutwiler, Mississippi.) Whatever the case, blues music was born from the time of slavery and prison work songs.  However, it was Ma who took the true experiences of the 'folk' and gave it back to them through 'the blues'.  By all accounts she was loved and admired by everyone and Honeyboy related that "when Ma played for you, you felt like the only one she was singin' too.  And could she sing the blues". 

At the age of 14 she joined her first minstrel troupe "The Blackberry Bunch" and spent the next 30 years of her life performing and making a major contribution to popular music.  She made 97 blues records for Paramount before 1928 and at least 47 were her own contributions.  Some of the musicians who worked with Ma included Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Bessie Smith, Tampa Red, Lovie Anderson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Thomas Dorsey.  She has been inducted into the following Halls of Fame:  Blues Foundation, Jazz, Rock & Roll, Georgia Music, Georgia Women of Achievement and the Grammy.  In addition, there has been a US postage stamp issue and the listing of her song See See Rider Blues at the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

The Ma Rainey Blues House & Museum was fought for by the people of Columbus, Georgia and funded by the City of Columbus: Friends of Ma Rainey.  I haven't posted the photos of the kind of shape this home was in but as you can tell from this photo of the finished product, it has been a job well done.  Indeed curator Fred Fussell has done a marvelous job of creating a place for people like me to find a piece of the magic in her old records, her piano (all the keys work by the way) and in the sparse memorabilia that remains of her musical life.

Columbus is an absolutely beautiful city with lush forest lining the Chatahoochie River.  The people are very welcoming and friendly much like the Mississippi.  One restaurant owner asked "ware ya frome?" and when I indicated that I was from Canada his response was "oh main, I sho do wish I leeved somewheres liberal leek Canada".  We had broad conversation about my experiences listening to both Neo (and I mean Neo) Conservative talk radio as well as PBS talk radio over the last couple days of travel.  He said "oooohhhh, ya done wanna do that naw.  Juice torn that oweff and have some tay".  I wholeheartedly agreed and on we went to other discussion over sweet tea.  

Ma Rules!!!

Ooot and Abooot eh?

K