Ma Rainey

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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Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on April 15, 1894 and was an American blues singer. For her enormous popularity and skill, Bessie was named "The Empress of the Blues" and was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930's. To earn money, Bessie and her brother Andrew began singing on the streets of Chattanooga where most of the African American's lived and frequented. Also known for being a hard drinker, she spent several years working out of Atlanta, Georgia's 81 Theater around 1913, and performing in black theaters along the East Coast. During the early 1920's, Smith became the biggest headliner on the black Theater Owners Booking Association circuit. Her show sometimes featured as many as 40 troupers which made her the highest-paid black entertainer of her day. She signed to Columbia Records and made some 160 recordings for Columbia, often accompanied by the finest musicians of the day, most notably Louis Armstrong and a host of other jazz and blues musicians. She continued to perform until her death On September 26, 1937. Smith was critically injured in a car accident while traveling along U.S. Route 61 between Memphis, Tennessee, and Clarksdale, Mississippi. Reports from that accident state that Bessie's right arm was nearly severed at the elbow, as she lay in the middle of the street losing large amounts of blood.(1937 medical care surely couldn't treat injuries as severe. Bessie is still known today as being an innovator and creator of early black music.

Bessie Smith, pioneer of the "Blues".



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Lena Horne

Lena Horne is an American singer and actress. Born June 30, 1917 in Bed Stuy(Brooklyn Stand UP!) New York, the Horne family was well set to inspire a lengend in the making. Lena's grandfather, Samuel R. Scottron was an inventor of window parts inculding the curtain rod so Lena grew up in the upper-middle class. In the fall of 1933, Horne joined the chorus line of the Cotton Club in New York City. Later, she went on to play roles in many MGM musicals and other low budget movies but became frutstrated with the views of white Hollywood. After leaving Hollywood, Horne established herself as one of the premiere nightclub performers of the post-war era. Horne created a one woman show for Broadway called, "Lena Horne: "The Lady and Her Music", in 1981 which still holds the record for the longest-running solo performance in Broadway history. Being an avid civil rights activist during World War II, when entertaining the troops for the USO, she refused to perform "for segregated audiences or to groups in which German POWs were seated in front of African American servicemen". Horne is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and is still alive today living in New York City.

Lena Horne, pioneer in jazz music, film, theatre and African American Glamour.



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Marian Anderson

Marian Anderson was an American contralto born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 27, 1897. The abundance of her carrer was spent performing in concert and recital in major music venues and with major orchestras throughout the U.S and Europe between 1925-1965. On January 7, 1955, Anderson became the first African-American to have a lead role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She was hired for the part of Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. In 1957, she sang for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's inauguration and toured India and the Far East as a goodwill ambassadress for the U.S. State Department and the American National Theater and Academy. On January 20, 1961 she sang for President John F. Kennedy's inauguration, and in 1962 she performed for President Kennedy and other dignitaries in the East Room of the White House, while also getting a chance to tour Australia. Retiring from singing in 1965, she was awarded many honors in the years that followed recognizing her achievements in music and merit. Marian Anderson died of congestive heart failure on April 8, 1993, at age 96.

Marion Anderson, pioneer in classical music and opera theatre.





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Helen Phillips

Helen Phillips, Born somewhere in 1919, was an American dramatic lyric soprano who broke though racial barriers as a concert singer. She was the first black singer to perform with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Helen was primarily a concert singer, touring the United States, Europe, Africa, and South America. She was recognized for her interpretation of German Lieder and Negro spirituals. Being Fluent in German, she also toured Austria and West Germany for the State Department after World War II. After retiring from the stage, she became a teacher of music and a vocal coach until her death at age 86, from heart disease at the Isabella Geriatric Center in Manhattan.

Helen Phillips, pioneer in classical music.

Do You Know Your Black History?

In leiu of black history month, Aielle Ache Blog will service you with facts about the leaders that made it possible for us to do what we do now. Some you may know, some you may not but you will leave knowing a little more about Black History. Today, Aielle Ache blog salutes the women of music who paved the way for our great women of color to be recognized today.

Hard Work Pays Off~

Beyonce made history last night at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. She, Lauryn Hill and Nora Jones were tied before last nights ceremony with 5 wins in one night. The 28-year-old powerhouse singer picked up a record SIX Grammys — Song of the Year for “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Halo,” Best Female R&B Performance for “Single Ladies,” Best Traditional R&B Performance for “At Last,” Best R&B Song for “Single Ladies” and Best Contemporary R&B Album for I Am… Sasha Fierce. The most wins by a female in one night at the Grammys!!!



(In Stephane Rolland)



(In Versace Atelier and Giuseppe Zanotti boots featured on Aielle Ache Blog)







(In Armani Prive and Ruthie Davis Sandals)