Jazz Articles about Ma Rainey

About Ma Rainey

Album Review

Ma Rainey: Mother of the Blues, The Complete Paramount Recordings, 1923-1928

Read "Mother of the Blues, The Complete Paramount Recordings, 1923-1928" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
July 18, 2026

Many music writers and historians consider Gertrude “Ma" Rainey the matriarch of American blues. Beginning her career in the dust of Southern tent shows and minstrel circuits, she became one of the first professional entertainers to bridge the raw, rural folk traditions of the deep south with the theatrical polish of vaudeville. Known for her commanding contralto voice, gold-capped teeth, and openly bisexual lyrics--most famously in “Prove It On Me Blues"--Rainey did not just perform the blues; she codified them ...

Radio & Podcasts

Sarah L. King, Joe Gransden, Maria Grand, Rebecca Rafla, Emie R. Roussel, Andrea Miller & More

by Mary Foster Conklin
May 5, 2026

This broadcast closes out Jazz Appreciation Month with new music from Sarah L. King, Joe Gransden, Maria Grand, Rebecca Rafla, Emie R. Roussel and Andrea Miller, with birthday shoutouts to Jazz Foremother Ma Rainey, Ella Fitzgerald, Roxy Coss, Rebecca Martin, Laufey, Kendra Shank, Lara Downes and Honorable Man Charles Mingus, among others. Happy listening and please support the artists you hear--see them live, buy their music so they can continue to comfort, distract, provoke and remind the world that A ...

Radio & Podcasts

New Releases and Celebrations for Blossom Dearie, Ma Rainey and More

by Mary Foster Conklin
May 10, 2021

This broadcast features new releases from the Steven Feifke Big Band, the Alpha Rhythm Kings, Nicki Parrott, Esperanza Spalding, Chien Chien Lu, Norah Jones and the Art of Time Ensemble with birthday shoutouts to Mother of the Blues Ma Rainey, Blossom Dearie, Shirley Horn, Connie Crothers, and Mary Ann McSweeney, among others. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by purchasing their music during this time of lockdown. Playlist Nora Germain “Candy" from Nora Germain ...