She first appeared on stage in Columbus in "A Bunch of Blackberries" at the age of 14. She then joined a traveling vaudeville troupe, the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. After hearing a blues song at a theater in St. Louis sung by a local girl in 1902, she started performing in a blues style. She claimed at that time that she was the one who coined the name "blues" for the style that she specialized in. Musicians and singers who had sang and played in the style said there were no such origins and that the blues had always been. A pioneer in the style, Bunk Johnson said that in the 1880s the blues had already been developed.
She married fellow vaudeville singer William 'Pa' Rainey in 1904, changing her name to Ma Rainey. The pair toured with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels as Rainey & Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues, singing a mix of blues and popular songs. In 1912, she took the young Bessie Smith into the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, trained her, and worked with her until Smith left in 1915.
Also known, though less discussed, is the fact that she was bisexual. Rainey never shied away from her feelings in her music, as is apparent in the lyrics of "Prove It On Me":
"Went out last night with a crowd of my friends,
They must have been women, 'cause I don't like no men.
Wear my clothes just like a fan, Talk to gals just like any old man
'Cause they say I do it, ain't nobody caught me, Sure got to prove it on me."
Rainey was outspoken on women's issues and a role model for future women entertainers who took control of their own careers.
Ma Rainey was already a veteran performer with decades of touring with African-American shows in the U.S. Southern States when she made her first recordings in 1923. Rainey signed with Paramount Records and, between 1923 and 1928, she recorded 100 songs, sometimes accompanied such jazz notables as Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, Fletcher Henderson and others. Rainey was extremely popular among southern blacks in the 1920s, but the Great Depression and changing tastes ended her career by 1933, when she retired.
Rainey died of a heart attack in 1939.
The 1982 August Wilson play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was based on her.
Black Dust Blues
Ma Rainey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Black cat on my doorstep, black cat on my windowsill
If one black cat don't cross me, another black cat will
It's bad luck if I'm jolly, bad luck if I cry
It's bad luck if I'm jolly, bad luck if I cry
It's bad luck if I stay here, it's still more bad luck if I die
Last night a hootin' owl came and sat right over my door
A feelin' seems to tell me, I'll never see my man no more
I feel my left eye jumpin', my heart a-bumpin'
I'm on my P's and Q's
I feel my brain a-thumpin', I got no time to lose
Mama's superstitious, tryin' to overcome these blues
The song "Black Cat Hoot Owl Blues" by Ma Rainey talks about superstitious beliefs and the fear of bad luck. The black cat symbolizes a constant threat, as one might leave but another one will come, and it's never good. The same goes with one's mood – whether they're happy or sad, it's always bad luck. Rainey talks about the feeling of being trapped and the inevitability of misfortune that looms over everything.
The mention of the hoot owl serves as a reinforcement of the sinister aura of the song. The owl is known to be a symbol of death and misfortune, and for it to sit over someone's door signifies that someone in the household might be doomed. Ma Rainey seems to be trying to ward off this feeling of bad luck by being extra careful and vigilant, as she senses something might be coming her way.
Line by Line Meaning
Black cat on my doorstep, black cat on my windowsill
There's a black cat on my doorstep and windowsill.
Black cat on my doorstep, black cat on my windowsill
Another black cat is likely to cross my path.
It's bad luck if I'm jolly, bad luck if I cry
No matter what I do, it seems like bad luck is following me.
It's bad luck if I'm jolly, bad luck if I cry
Staying where I am is bad luck, but leaving could be worse.
Last night a hootin' owl came and sat right over my door
An owl sat on my door last night.
Last night a hootin' owl came and sat right over my door
I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen.
I feel my left eye jumpin', my heart a-bumpin'
My left eye is twitching and my heart is racing.
I'm on my P's and Q's
I'm being extra cautious.
I feel my brain a-thumpin', I got no time to lose
My mind is racing and I don't have any time to waste.
Mama's superstitious, tryin' to overcome these blues
My mother is very superstitious and is trying to help me overcome my sadness.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: THOMAS A. DORSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J Montgomery
Ma Rainey was such a talent! This tune reflects the Hoodoo tradition of magical cursing.
HooDoo Man
thank you for uploading this classic!. What year is it from?
Panthers
1928 :)
Chris Kellerson
A magic song