WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.700 We, uh, we often credit modern hip hop or punk 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:06.799 rock for pioneering the unapologetic, fiercely 00:00:06.799 --> 00:00:09.259 independent artist. Right. When you listen to 00:00:09.259 --> 00:00:11.380 a track today, you know, and the musician is 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:13.339 just completely owning who they are, rejecting 00:00:13.339 --> 00:00:16.179 every societal expectation and just refusing 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:18.519 to compromise. It feels like a very modern phenomenon. 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:20.679 It really does. It feels like something that 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:23.600 was invented yesterday. Exactly. But what if 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:27.140 that exact blueprint, the swagger, the financial 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:29.899 independence, the radical lyricism, what if all 00:00:29.899 --> 00:00:32.289 that was actually drawn up over a century? In 00:00:32.289 --> 00:00:35.270 the Jim Crow South, no less. Yes. So today we 00:00:35.270 --> 00:00:38.329 are taking a deep dive into the life, the music, 00:00:38.350 --> 00:00:41.390 and the massive cultural legacy of Gertrude Pridgett. 00:00:41.429 --> 00:00:44.049 Better known to the world as Ma Rainey. Yes. 00:00:44.539 --> 00:00:46.520 So if you're searching for the true history of 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:50.020 the mother of the blues or 1920s queer music 00:00:50.020 --> 00:00:53.600 history or early feminist icons, you are absolutely 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:55.640 in the right place today. It is a phenomenal 00:00:55.640 --> 00:00:58.179 story. And our mission for you today is to explore 00:00:58.179 --> 00:01:01.140 how a woman born in the late 19th century managed 00:01:01.140 --> 00:01:03.799 to bridge the enormous gap between traditional, 00:01:03.899 --> 00:01:07.239 highly structured vaudeville and raw, authentic 00:01:07.239 --> 00:01:10.000 southern blues. We are going to look at how she 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.359 systematically challenged the norms of 1920s 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:16.280 music. built an empire, and rightfully earned 00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:19.599 the title of the Mother of the Blues. I mean, 00:01:19.620 --> 00:01:21.959 it's really not just a story about a great singer. 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:24.340 No, not at all. It's a look at queer history, 00:01:24.659 --> 00:01:27.420 the evolution of the recording industry, and 00:01:27.420 --> 00:01:30.640 really just a masterclass in absolute fearlessness. 00:01:31.379 --> 00:01:34.200 Perfectly said. Okay, let's unpack this. We are 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:36.659 looking at a stack of historical overviews and 00:01:36.659 --> 00:01:39.140 biographical analyses today, and her story actually 00:01:39.140 --> 00:01:42.140 starts with a bit of a mystery. Yeah, the birth 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:44.700 dates. Right. The exact details of her birth 00:01:44.700 --> 00:01:47.599 are surprisingly debated in the sources. So did 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:50.680 her story begin in Alabama in September of 1882, 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:53.739 which is what the 1900 census suggests? Or was 00:01:53.739 --> 00:01:56.819 she born on April 26, 1886 in Columbus, Georgia? 00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:58.780 Which is what she claimed later in her career. 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:01.099 Right. And it's a discrepancy that actually tells 00:02:01.099 --> 00:02:03.659 us a lot about the era itself. How so? Well, 00:02:03.700 --> 00:02:06.280 for Black Americans born in the South post -Reconstruction, 00:02:06.439 --> 00:02:08.780 historical records were notoriously inconsistent. 00:02:09.689 --> 00:02:12.009 Record keeping for marginalized communities was, 00:02:12.129 --> 00:02:14.449 frankly, often an afterthought for local governments. 00:02:15.020 --> 00:02:17.419 That makes sense. Yeah. Researchers have spent 00:02:17.419 --> 00:02:20.479 decades digging into census records, tracking 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:23.319 her parents, Thomas and Ella Pridgett, and her 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:26.400 siblings. But the exact coordinates of her birth 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:29.139 remain pretty fluid. But the sources do confirm 00:02:29.139 --> 00:02:31.360 one thing absolutely, which is that her talent 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:34.740 manifested incredibly early. Oh, very early. 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:37.219 By the time she was around 12 to 14 years old, 00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:39.219 she was already performing in local talent shows 00:02:39.219 --> 00:02:41.699 in Columbus, Georgia. And from those talent shows, 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:43.800 she transitions directly into the professional 00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.159 circuit. The sources mentioned she was a member 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:48.500 of the First African Baptist Church, but then 00:02:48.500 --> 00:02:50.879 she began performing in black minstrel shows 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:53.759 and vaudeville acts. Right. But there is a very 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:57.860 specific anecdote from the early 1900s that is 00:02:57.860 --> 00:03:00.639 essentially the origin story of the blues as 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:02.240 we know it. I want to make sure we get this right. 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:04.659 She's traveling through Missouri around 1902, 00:03:04.819 --> 00:03:07.580 right? Correct. 1902 in Missouri. Yeah. And to 00:03:07.580 --> 00:03:09.699 understand why this moment matters so much, you 00:03:09.699 --> 00:03:11.509 have to. have to understand what vaudeville sounded 00:03:11.509 --> 00:03:14.469 like at the time set the stage for us it was 00:03:14.469 --> 00:03:17.169 highly structured very comedic and it leaned 00:03:17.169 --> 00:03:20.650 heavily on popular somewhat sanitized theatrical 00:03:20.650 --> 00:03:23.449 songs it was very formal okay but one night in 00:03:23.449 --> 00:03:26.150 missouri rainy hears a young woman singing a 00:03:26.150 --> 00:03:30.069 deeply tragic moaning song about a man leaving 00:03:30.069 --> 00:03:33.930 her wow yeah and it completely lacked the polish 00:03:33.930 --> 00:03:36.389 of vaudeville but it possessed this profound 00:03:36.389 --> 00:03:40.620 raw emotional gravity Rainey was just so captivated 00:03:40.620 --> 00:03:43.020 that she memorized the song, integrated it into 00:03:43.020 --> 00:03:45.319 her own stage act, and... And here's the crazy 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:47.740 part. Yeah. When audiences naturally asked her 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:49.419 what kind of music she was singing, she claimed 00:03:49.419 --> 00:03:52.060 she simply coined the term right there. She told 00:03:52.060 --> 00:03:55.039 them it was the blues. The blues. It is incredible 00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:58.199 to think of a genre name being birthed, essentially, 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:00.620 as a quick answer to a fan's question after a 00:04:00.620 --> 00:04:02.949 show. It really is. But how did she actually 00:04:02.949 --> 00:04:05.349 take that raw acoustic sound and put it on a 00:04:05.349 --> 00:04:07.990 vaudeville stage? That was her genius. She didn't 00:04:07.990 --> 00:04:11.449 just mimic the rural singers she heard. She translated 00:04:11.449 --> 00:04:14.090 them. Translated them. Yeah. She took the tragic 00:04:14.090 --> 00:04:16.529 chord progressions and the improvisational nature 00:04:16.529 --> 00:04:19.490 of country blues, and she framed it within the 00:04:19.490 --> 00:04:22.139 theatrical setting of a traveling show. Oh, I 00:04:22.139 --> 00:04:24.879 see. So she might sing a song of intense sorrow, 00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:27.579 but she'd deliver it with a vaudevillian wink 00:04:27.579 --> 00:04:30.660 or a comedic aside to the audience. She was turning 00:04:30.660 --> 00:04:33.720 individual pain into a moment of communal theatrical 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:36.860 empowerment. And right around this time, her 00:04:36.860 --> 00:04:40.459 professional persona truly solidifies. In 1904, 00:04:40.660 --> 00:04:43.699 she marries William Rainey. Better known as Puck 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:46.480 Rainey. Pa Rainey. And taking the play on his 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:49.600 nickname, Gertrude becomes Ma Rainey. Exactly. 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:52.259 They form a group called the Alabama Funmakers 00:04:52.259 --> 00:04:54.879 Company, and later they join Pat Chappelle's 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:57.480 Rabbit's Foot Company. Which was a massively 00:04:57.480 --> 00:05:00.199 popular traveling show. Huge. And I have to point 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:02.740 out the stage billing they eventually used. By 00:05:02.740 --> 00:05:05.399 1914, they were touring as Rainey and Rainey, 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:08.379 Assassinators of the Blues. What a title. Honestly, 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:10.660 for anyone listening who is forming a band right 00:05:10.660 --> 00:05:12.800 now, please take notes. That is an unbelievable 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:15.350 stage name. name, Assassinators of the Blues. 00:05:15.610 --> 00:05:17.949 What's fascinating here is how that grueling 00:05:17.949 --> 00:05:21.069 early touring schedule functioned as an incubator 00:05:21.069 --> 00:05:23.829 for this completely new American sound. Right, 00:05:23.930 --> 00:05:27.170 because touring wasn't easy. Not at all. When 00:05:27.170 --> 00:05:29.370 we talk about touring in the Jim Crow South... 00:05:29.629 --> 00:05:32.230 We have to mention the 2BA circuit. The Theater 00:05:32.230 --> 00:05:35.569 Owners Booking Association. Yes. For black entertainers, 00:05:35.649 --> 00:05:39.310 TBA was notoriously punishing. The pay was often 00:05:39.310 --> 00:05:42.569 poor, the travel conditions were harsh, and performers 00:05:42.569 --> 00:05:46.050 faced constant systemic racism. But within this 00:05:46.050 --> 00:05:48.949 incredibly difficult environment, Ma Rainey was 00:05:48.949 --> 00:05:51.670 thriving. She was. She was wintering in places 00:05:51.670 --> 00:05:54.129 like New Orleans, cross -pollinating with different 00:05:54.129 --> 00:05:56.730 musicians, and meeting jazz pioneers. People 00:05:56.730 --> 00:05:59.329 like Joe King Oliver, Sidney Bichette. And a 00:05:59.329 --> 00:06:01.910 very young Louis Armstrong. She also meets Bessie 00:06:01.910 --> 00:06:03.670 Smith around this time, who we will definitely 00:06:03.670 --> 00:06:05.689 talk about a bit later. Oh, absolutely. But this 00:06:05.689 --> 00:06:07.970 constant movement across the country means she 00:06:07.970 --> 00:06:10.970 is playing for vast rural and urban audiences 00:06:10.970 --> 00:06:13.730 alike. She is serving as a massive conduit for 00:06:13.730 --> 00:06:16.889 the blues. And this brings us to the 1920s. Which 00:06:16.889 --> 00:06:19.490 is where her career just explodes. Because of 00:06:19.490 --> 00:06:21.990 the Great Migration, right? Exactly. The 1920s 00:06:21.990 --> 00:06:24.870 changed everything. Millions of black Americans 00:06:24.870 --> 00:06:27.310 were relocating from the rural South to northern 00:06:27.310 --> 00:06:30.160 industrial cities like Chicago and Detroit. Seeking 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:32.720 better jobs and trying to escape the brutal violence 00:06:32.720 --> 00:06:35.180 of the Jim Crow South. Right. But when they got 00:06:35.180 --> 00:06:37.120 to these northern cities, they missed the culture, 00:06:37.259 --> 00:06:40.060 the food, and especially the music of home. Which 00:06:40.060 --> 00:06:42.839 creates a massive surging demand for records 00:06:42.839 --> 00:06:46.139 that sound like the South. Exactly. Now, the 00:06:46.139 --> 00:06:48.199 recording industry initially didn't believe there 00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:50.240 was a market for black artists recording black 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:52.920 music. Which is wild to think about now. Completely 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:55.819 wild. But that door had been kicked open in 1920. 00:06:56.699 --> 00:06:59.579 when Mamie Smith recorded Crazy Blues. And that 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:02.500 sold an astronomical number of copies. It did. 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:05.019 It proved the market was highly lucrative. So 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:08.639 by 1923, J. Mayo Williams, a producer for Paramount 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:12.079 Records in Chicago, discovers Ma Rainey and signs 00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:14.410 her to the label. But wait, if Mamie Smith had 00:07:14.410 --> 00:07:16.129 already opened the door and recorded the first 00:07:16.129 --> 00:07:18.790 blues tracks, why does Ma Rainey get the title 00:07:18.790 --> 00:07:21.290 of Mother of the Blues? That is a great question. 00:07:21.490 --> 00:07:23.730 What made Rainey the architect rather than just 00:07:23.730 --> 00:07:25.949 someone riding the wave of that recording boom? 00:07:26.250 --> 00:07:28.490 That is a crucial distinction made in the sources. 00:07:29.449 --> 00:07:31.870 Mamie Smith and many of the other early artists 00:07:31.870 --> 00:07:34.829 were recording what historians call classic blues. 00:07:35.189 --> 00:07:38.470 Okay. It was cleaner, heavily influenced by Northern 00:07:38.470 --> 00:07:41.240 Cabaret and vaudeville. And it was often backed 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:44.579 by formal jazz orchestras. More polished. Exactly. 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:48.160 Ma Rainey brought the country blues. Her voice 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:50.680 was deeper, it was grittier, and it possessed 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:54.279 a rough, moaning quality that felt authentically 00:07:54.279 --> 00:07:56.620 rooted in the southern dirt. So when you listened 00:07:56.620 --> 00:07:58.959 to Ma Rainey, you weren't just hearing a pop 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:01.339 song. No, you were hearing the unfiltered soul 00:08:01.339 --> 00:08:03.920 of the South. That makes total sense. So she 00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:06.860 gets into the studio in Chicago, and she cuts 00:08:06.860 --> 00:08:09.790 legendary tracks like... Bow Weevil Blues and 00:08:09.790 --> 00:08:12.689 Moonshine Blues. Yeah. And her output from that 00:08:12.689 --> 00:08:15.750 point forward is just staggering. Over 100 recordings 00:08:15.750 --> 00:08:18.370 in a five year span. Paramount Records knew they 00:08:18.370 --> 00:08:20.269 had a goldmine. Oh, they definitely knew. They 00:08:20.269 --> 00:08:22.670 marketed her with these fantastic larger than 00:08:22.670 --> 00:08:24.910 life titles. They called her the song Bird of 00:08:24.910 --> 00:08:27.050 the South. Goldneck Woman of the Blues. And my 00:08:27.050 --> 00:08:30.050 absolute favorite, the Paramount Wildcat. Such 00:08:30.050 --> 00:08:32.350 a great moniker. Yeah. And she wasn't just showing 00:08:32.350 --> 00:08:34.750 up to sing whatever the label handed her. No. 00:08:34.830 --> 00:08:37.090 She was a prolific writer. She penned at least 00:08:37.090 --> 00:08:39.429 a third of the song. she performed. Which was 00:08:39.429 --> 00:08:41.789 highly unusual for female artists at the time. 00:08:41.909 --> 00:08:44.870 Very unusual. Women were usually relegated to 00:08:44.870 --> 00:08:47.629 just being the voice for male songwriters, but 00:08:47.629 --> 00:08:49.970 she was actively shaping the lyrical direction 00:08:49.970 --> 00:08:52.090 of the genre itself. And she's collaborating 00:08:52.090 --> 00:08:55.549 with absolute giants while doing it. By 1924, 00:08:55.789 --> 00:08:57.750 she's back in the studio recording with Louis 00:08:57.750 --> 00:09:00.429 Armstrong on tracks like Jellybean Blues and 00:09:00.429 --> 00:09:03.289 Sea Writer. Yeah, two legends in one room. But 00:09:03.289 --> 00:09:05.509 let's bring this down to the reality of her day 00:09:05.509 --> 00:09:07.909 -to -day life, because the financial aspect detailed 00:09:07.909 --> 00:09:10.299 in this. sources is mind -blowing. It really 00:09:10.299 --> 00:09:12.779 is. While touring, often with her band leader 00:09:12.779 --> 00:09:15.639 Thomas Dorsey and the Wildcats jazz band, she 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:20.399 was making $350 a week. For context, that is 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:23.679 a massive fortune in the 1920s. It was. To put 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:26.259 it in perspective, $350 a week during that era 00:09:26.259 --> 00:09:28.659 gave her a level of financial independence that 00:09:28.659 --> 00:09:31.019 most people couldn't even fathom, let alone a 00:09:31.019 --> 00:09:33.179 black woman in America at that time. She even 00:09:33.179 --> 00:09:35.480 bought her own customized tour bus, right? She 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:37.980 did. She bought it so she and her band wouldn't 00:09:37.980 --> 00:09:39.980 have to deal with the indignities of segregated 00:09:39.980 --> 00:09:43.179 train travel. So she has this immense wealth 00:09:43.179 --> 00:09:45.919 and she absolutely flaunts it. If you are listening 00:09:45.919 --> 00:09:47.960 right now, I want you to picture what it was 00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:50.860 like to see her live. Oh, the visuals are incredible. 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:54.139 Ma Rainey was a fashion icon before the concept 00:09:54.139 --> 00:09:56.259 really existed in the way we understand it today. 00:09:57.139 --> 00:10:00.139 Imagine her stepping out onto a dimly lit theater 00:10:00.139 --> 00:10:03.899 stage. She is draped in massive ostrich plumes. 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:06.799 Shimmering satin gowns covered in sequins. Yes. 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:09.820 She has a necklace made entirely of heavy gold 00:10:09.820 --> 00:10:13.480 coins, a literal diamond tiara on her head, and 00:10:13.480 --> 00:10:16.320 when she smiles, she flashes a mouthful of gold 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:19.000 teeth. It was loud, it was flashy, and it was 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:21.600 deeply intentional. How so? The visual presentation 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:24.820 was a calculated act of rebellion, and it perfectly 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:27.019 matched the rebellion in... her lyrics right 00:10:27.019 --> 00:10:29.399 the sources bring up a brilliant analysis of 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:32.240 this by scholar angela y davis in her book blues 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.679 legacies and black feminism i'm glad we're bringing 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:36.740 this up what does davis say davis points out 00:10:36.740 --> 00:10:39.710 that post -slavery There was an immense crushing 00:10:39.710 --> 00:10:42.309 pressure on black Americans, particularly women, 00:10:42.470 --> 00:10:45.149 to adhere to strict respectability politics. 00:10:45.590 --> 00:10:47.330 Right. The idea that they had to act a certain 00:10:47.330 --> 00:10:49.710 way. Exactly. Yeah. The idea was that if they 00:10:49.710 --> 00:10:52.809 appeared morally flawless, pious and demure to 00:10:52.809 --> 00:10:56.070 white society, they might earn basic human rights 00:10:56.070 --> 00:10:58.789 and safety. And Ma Rainey just completely rejected 00:10:58.789 --> 00:11:02.019 that burden. Entirely. Davis explains that Rainey's 00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:04.120 songs were a direct attack on white middle -class 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:06.919 ideas of female respectability. Her characters 00:11:06.919 --> 00:11:09.940 were not docile. Not at all. They were not submissive. 00:11:10.019 --> 00:11:13.259 She sang about women who drank heavily, who partied 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:16.259 all night, who confidently walked out on abusive 00:11:16.259 --> 00:11:18.799 men. And who slept around specifically for revenge. 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:21.620 Yes. She portrayed the black female experience 00:11:21.620 --> 00:11:24.320 with all of its messy, complex, and sometimes 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:27.220 violent realities. It reflected an incredibly 00:11:27.220 --> 00:11:29.840 wide range of emotions that had just never been... 00:11:29.870 --> 00:11:31.629 on a record before here's where it gets really 00:11:31.629 --> 00:11:34.590 interesting that defiance that refusal to be 00:11:34.590 --> 00:11:37.269 put in a box wasn't just about challenging traditional 00:11:37.269 --> 00:11:40.149 gender roles with men no it went further it was 00:11:40.149 --> 00:11:42.669 also about her open expressions of queer identity 00:11:42.669 --> 00:11:46.669 bisexuality and lesbianism in the 1920s it's 00:11:46.669 --> 00:11:48.730 astonishing i want to share a specific example 00:11:48.730 --> 00:11:51.710 from the text because the boldness is just staggering 00:11:51.710 --> 00:11:56.090 she released a song in 1928 called prove it on 00:11:56.090 --> 00:11:59.320 me and the lyrics are completely unambiguous 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:01.539 they really are the song is a cultural landmark 00:12:01.539 --> 00:12:04.399 she sings went out last night with a crowd of 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:06.179 my friends they must been women because i don't 00:12:06.179 --> 00:12:09.580 like no men wow it gets better she says it's 00:12:09.580 --> 00:12:12.879 true i wear a collar and tie makes the wind blow 00:12:12.879 --> 00:12:15.700 all the while and then she literally taunts the 00:12:15.700 --> 00:12:18.100 listener by singing they said i do it ain't nobody 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:20.700 caught me sure got to prove it on me yeah she 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:23.700 is daring them I always assumed record labels 00:12:23.700 --> 00:12:26.720 back then were deeply conservative. How did Paramount 00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:28.659 Records even allow that to be published, let 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:30.759 alone market it? Because Paramount recognized 00:12:30.759 --> 00:12:33.139 that there was a massive subculture that resonated 00:12:33.139 --> 00:12:36.000 with this. And the context behind that song is 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:38.899 wild. The arrest, right? Yes. According to historical 00:12:38.899 --> 00:12:41.659 analyses, those lyrics are likely a direct reference 00:12:41.659 --> 00:12:44.539 to a 1925 incident where Rainey was arrested 00:12:44.539 --> 00:12:47.200 in Chicago. What happened? The police raided 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:49.340 her home and claimed they broke up an orgy involving 00:12:49.340 --> 00:12:52.440 women from her own chorus line. And Paramount 00:12:52.440 --> 00:12:55.179 didn't hide from this scandal. Not at all. They 00:12:55.179 --> 00:12:58.259 actively leaned into it to sell records. The 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:00.860 actual newspaper advertisement for Prove It On 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:04.179 Me fully embraced the gender bend. What did the 00:13:04.179 --> 00:13:06.580 ad look like? It featured an illustration of 00:13:06.580 --> 00:13:09.059 Rainey in a tailored three -piece suit and a 00:13:09.059 --> 00:13:11.500 fedora, flirting with a group of women on a street 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:14.740 corner while a police officer... literally lurks 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:16.639 in the background they put the police officer 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:19.759 in the ad they did that is incredible and adding 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:23.080 to the lore of that 1925 arrest is a detail about 00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:25.700 who actually bailed her out of jail oh right 00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:28.179 the historical rumors heavily point to her fellow 00:13:28.179 --> 00:13:31.559 blues legend Bessie Smith yes and the dynamic 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:34.379 between Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith is one of 00:13:34.379 --> 00:13:36.480 the most fascinating relationships in music history 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:38.759 how did they meet they first met years earlier 00:13:38.759 --> 00:13:41.850 on the touring circuit At the time, Rainey was 00:13:41.850 --> 00:13:44.129 the established star and Smith was an up -and 00:13:44.129 --> 00:13:46.789 -coming talent. It started as a mentor -mentee 00:13:46.789 --> 00:13:49.690 relationship, but it evolved into a deeply intimate 00:13:49.690 --> 00:13:52.190 peer connection. And the sources suggest it was 00:13:52.190 --> 00:13:55.490 romantic. Yes. The historical consensus, backed 00:13:55.490 --> 00:13:57.789 by accounts from musicians who toured with them, 00:13:57.909 --> 00:13:59.990 is that their notoriously close relationship 00:13:59.990 --> 00:14:03.289 was indeed romantic. It paints such a stunning 00:14:03.289 --> 00:14:05.669 picture of solidarity. You have these two titans 00:14:05.669 --> 00:14:08.850 of the blues navigating an intensely racist and 00:14:08.850 --> 00:14:11.470 sexist industry, fully supporting each other, 00:14:11.509 --> 00:14:13.809 both professionally and personally. It was profound. 00:14:13.990 --> 00:14:16.950 And as Angela Davis noted, a song like Prove 00:14:16.950 --> 00:14:19.450 It On Me and the Lifestyle Rainey led serve as 00:14:19.450 --> 00:14:22.429 a cultural precursor to the LGBTQ plus cultural 00:14:22.429 --> 00:14:25.190 movements that wouldn't crystallize or have a 00:14:25.190 --> 00:14:28.230 public vocabulary until the 1970s. Right. Mari 00:14:28.230 --> 00:14:31.309 Rainey was living. breathing and singing her 00:14:31.309 --> 00:14:34.409 truth 50 years before mainstream society even 00:14:34.409 --> 00:14:36.690 had a framework to discuss it. It's just so ahead 00:14:36.690 --> 00:14:39.450 of its time. But as with all musical eras, the 00:14:39.450 --> 00:14:41.850 landscape eventually began to shift. Right. As 00:14:41.850 --> 00:14:44.230 we move into the late 1920s and early 1930s, 00:14:44.230 --> 00:14:46.970 the golden age of live vaudeville and the grueling 00:14:46.970 --> 00:14:49.350 2BA circuit starts to decline. The Great Depression 00:14:49.350 --> 00:14:51.529 hits. Exactly. People are staying home more. 00:14:51.669 --> 00:14:53.690 They are listening to the radio or playing records 00:14:53.690 --> 00:14:55.470 rather than going out to massive tent shows. 00:14:55.549 --> 00:14:58.009 So does she just fade away as the industry changes? 00:14:58.190 --> 00:15:01.240 Not at all. After years of relentless touring, 00:15:01.480 --> 00:15:04.580 Rainey essentially decided to retire from performing 00:15:04.580 --> 00:15:08.720 on the road. So in 1935, she moved back to her 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:11.600 hometown of Columbus, Georgia. But she didn't 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:14.320 quietly fade into obscurity, did she? No, she 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:16.860 took her wealth and her decades of industry knowledge 00:15:16.860 --> 00:15:21.360 and became a theater impresario. Wow. Yeah, she 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:23.700 purchased and ran three different theaters, the 00:15:23.700 --> 00:15:26.460 Liberty in Columbus and the Lyric in the Airdrome 00:15:26.460 --> 00:15:29.889 in Rome, Georgia. She literally owned the means 00:15:29.889 --> 00:15:32.230 of distribution and entertainment in her community 00:15:32.230 --> 00:15:34.629 until she passed away from a heart attack in 00:15:34.629 --> 00:15:37.490 1939. Think about the magnitude of that. A black 00:15:37.490 --> 00:15:40.190 woman in the Deep South in the 1930s owning multiple 00:15:40.190 --> 00:15:42.649 theaters. She was a boss from the beginning of 00:15:42.649 --> 00:15:45.049 her career to the very end. If we connect this 00:15:45.049 --> 00:15:47.009 to the bigger picture. Well, if we connect this 00:15:47.009 --> 00:15:49.110 to the bigger picture, it becomes clear that 00:15:49.110 --> 00:15:51.230 Gertrude Marini wasn't just a popular singer 00:15:51.230 --> 00:15:53.669 who had a few hits. She was a cultural architect. 00:15:53.929 --> 00:15:57.070 The gravelly. Deeply authoritative delivery of 00:15:57.070 --> 00:16:00.389 her vocals directly inspired generations of singers 00:16:00.389 --> 00:16:03.629 who came after her. You can trace a straight 00:16:03.629 --> 00:16:06.610 sonic lineage from the way Ma Rainey moaned a 00:16:06.610 --> 00:16:09.570 blues lyric directly to Louis Armstrong's vocal 00:16:09.570 --> 00:16:12.570 phrasing. Into the raw power of Janis Joplin. 00:16:12.710 --> 00:16:14.450 And right through to artists like Bonnie Raitt. 00:16:14.940 --> 00:16:17.080 And the lyrical themes are just as foundational. 00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:20.399 When you look at her songs, the fiercely independent 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:23.460 women refusing to be victimized, asserting their 00:16:23.460 --> 00:16:25.919 dominance, bragging about their wealth and their 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:28.679 sexual agency. Those are the direct precursors 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:31.559 to the ethos of modern hip hop. Yes. Her willingness 00:16:31.559 --> 00:16:33.960 to put those unfiltered themes on wax established 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:36.279 a standard of fearlessness for every artist who 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:38.379 followed. Absolutely. Her portrayals of black 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:40.559 women bucking every heteronormative standard 00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:43.379 even extended beyond music. The sources mention 00:16:43.379 --> 00:16:46.159 Alice Walker, right? Yes. Her life and lyrics 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:48.200 served as a direct inspiration for the author 00:16:48.200 --> 00:16:50.519 Alice Walker when she was developing the iconic, 00:16:50.779 --> 00:16:53.139 fiercely independent characters for her novel 00:16:53.139 --> 00:16:55.799 The Color Purple. And while she may have passed 00:16:55.799 --> 00:16:58.580 away in 1939, her cultural footprint has only 00:16:58.580 --> 00:17:01.090 grown more visible. The permanent honors she 00:17:01.090 --> 00:17:03.690 has collected posthumously are undeniable. Truly 00:17:03.690 --> 00:17:06.490 undeniable. She was inducted into the Blues Foundation's 00:17:06.490 --> 00:17:10.230 Hall of Fame in 1983. Then the Rock and Roll 00:17:10.230 --> 00:17:12.990 Hall of Fame in 1990 acknowledged right alongside 00:17:12.990 --> 00:17:16.309 early influences like Louis Armstrong and Charlie 00:17:16.309 --> 00:17:19.710 Christian. And in 1994, the U .S. Postal Service 00:17:19.710 --> 00:17:22.109 issued a commemorative stamp with her face on 00:17:22.109 --> 00:17:25.569 it. That is so cool. Her legendary 1924 recording 00:17:25.569 --> 00:17:28.890 of Sea Rider Blues was also added to the National 00:17:28.890 --> 00:17:31.049 Recording Registry by the Library of Congress 00:17:31.049 --> 00:17:33.950 for its profound cultural significance. We also 00:17:33.950 --> 00:17:37.150 saw Viola Davis deliver a powerhouse portrayal 00:17:37.150 --> 00:17:39.490 of her in the 20s. 2020 Academy Award -winning 00:17:39.490 --> 00:17:42.750 film adaptation of August Wilson's play, Ma Rainey's 00:17:42.750 --> 00:17:44.990 Black Bottom. Yes, and bringing it right up to 00:17:44.990 --> 00:17:47.650 the present, in 2023, she was honored with a 00:17:47.650 --> 00:17:50.170 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Long overdue. 00:17:50.289 --> 00:17:52.329 The Recording Academy specifically celebrated 00:17:52.329 --> 00:17:55.650 her deep voice, her mesmerizing stage presence, 00:17:55.910 --> 00:17:58.589 and the nearly 100 records that are now a permanent 00:17:58.589 --> 00:18:00.789 foundational part of the American musical canon. 00:18:01.009 --> 00:18:04.769 It is a profound, hard -earned list of accolades 00:18:04.769 --> 00:18:08.480 for a woman who started out... in a rural tent 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:12.019 show and ended up defining the sound and attitude 00:18:12.019 --> 00:18:15.180 of an entire century. So what does this all mean? 00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:18.119 The core takeaway for you today is this. The 00:18:18.119 --> 00:18:20.440 next time you turn on the radio or stream a playlist 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:23.460 and you hear an artist boldly defying the rules, 00:18:23.660 --> 00:18:26.680 speaking their mind, and refusing to apologize 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:29.039 for who they love or how they live. You will 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:31.059 know exactly where that energy comes from. You 00:18:31.059 --> 00:18:33.240 will know that a woman draped in ostrich plumes, 00:18:33.339 --> 00:18:36.250 flashing a diamond tiara and gold teeth. was 00:18:36.250 --> 00:18:38.890 doing exactly that a whole century ago, laying 00:18:38.890 --> 00:18:40.849 the marks for the modern music you love today. 00:18:41.049 --> 00:18:42.990 It leaves us with a lingering question, though. 00:18:43.289 --> 00:18:45.250 One that builds on everything we've explored 00:18:45.250 --> 00:18:47.829 about her life. What's that? If Mary Rainey was 00:18:47.829 --> 00:18:50.170 able to be so remarkably and commercially successful 00:18:50.170 --> 00:18:52.710 while singing openly about queer relationships, 00:18:53.069 --> 00:18:55.869 domestic survival, and unapologetic female rebellion 00:18:55.869 --> 00:18:58.750 in the 1920s, what does it say about the music 00:18:58.750 --> 00:19:02.049 industry and society as a whole that those exact 00:19:02.049 --> 00:19:05.710 same topics became so heavily censored, sanitized, 00:19:05.710 --> 00:19:08.500 and taboo in the decades that followed? Wow, 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:11.660 that is a heavy and fascinating thought to chew 00:19:11.660 --> 00:19:14.299 on. Thank you for joining us on this deep dive 00:19:14.299 --> 00:19:16.460 into the life of the Paramount Wildcat herself, 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:18.819 Ma Rainey. We hope you discovered something new 00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:20.819 today, and we look forward to exploring another 00:19:20.819 --> 00:19:22.940 incredible topic with you next time. Take care.