Ma Rainey
Biography
Gertrude “Ma” Rainey was an American blues singer and performer who became one of the pioneering figures in the development and popularization of the blues. Born in Columbus, Georgia, she began performing professionally around the turn of the 20th century and toured extensively through Black vaudeville and theater circuits.
Rainey began recording for Paramount Records in 1923 and recorded extensively for the label between 1923 and 1928. Her recordings helped bring the blues to a wider Black American audience during the 1920s.
Rainey's work also occupies an important place in Black queer music history. Her songs included references to relationships between women, most notably “Prove It On Me Blues,” and historical accounts document her relationships with women. She retired from touring in the 1930s and returned to Columbus, Georgia, where she remained until her death in 1939.
BQW Impact
Rainey's recordings documented Black women's sexual expression at a time when relationships between women were rarely represented openly in popular music. Songs such as “Prove It On Me Blues” make her an important early figure in Black queer cultural history.
Her work provides an early example of a Black woman using popular music to address sexuality, desire, and relationships between women, contributing to the historical record of Black queer expression in American music.
Notable Works
Moonshine Blues (1923)
Early Paramount recording showcasing Rainey's blues style and storytelling.
See See Rider Blues (1924)
One of Rainey's best-known recordings; added to the National Recording Registry in 2004.
Black Bottom (1927)
Rainey's recording of the popular Black Bottom dance song, later used as the title of August Wilson's 1982 play.
Prove It On Me Blues (1928)
Blues song addressing relationships between women and one of Rainey's most significant works in Black queer music history.
Learn More
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: Ma Rainey
Institutional biography documenting Rainey's career, recordings, sexuality, and cultural significance.
Library of Congress: Ma Rainey and the National Recording Registry
Information on Rainey's recordings and her inclusion in the National Recording Registry.
Library of Congress: Ma Rainey and the Blues
Historical discussion of Rainey's life, music, and bisexual identity.