Ma Rainey, real name Gertrude Pridgett was born somewhere in 1886 in Columbus, Georgia, and was one of the earliest known American professional blues singers. Nicknamed "The Mother of the Blues", she was one of the first generation of such singers to record, Ma Rainey was noted for inspiring a score of entertainers to follow, including Bessie Smith. She first appeared onstage in 1900, singing and dancing in minstrel and vaudeville stage revues. She ended up recording 100 songs between 1923 and 1928 on Paramount Records being accompanied by Jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong. After taking a break from entertaining, she ran two theaters in Columbus, Georgia , "The Lyric" and "The Airdrome", until her death from a heart attack in 1939. To further her legacy, Bessie Smith was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1983, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Ma Rainey, pioneer of "The Blues".
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