Gertrude Pridgett Rainey, better known as Ma Rainey (Columbus, Georgia, Apr… Read Full Bio ↴Gertrude Pridgett Rainey, better known as Ma Rainey (Columbus, Georgia, April 26, 1886 – Columbus, Georgia, December 22, 1939), was one of the earliest known professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record. She was billed as The Mother of the Blues. She did much to develop and popularize the form and was an important influence on younger blues women, such as Bessie Smith, and their careers.

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.

Chain Gang Blues
Ma Rainey Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The judge found me guilty, the clerk he wrote it down
The judge found me guilty, the clerk he wrote it down
Just a poor gal in trouble, I know I'm county road bound

Many days of sorrow, many nights of woe
Many days of sorrow, many nights of woe
And a ball and chain everywhere I go

Chains on my feet, padlock on my hand
Chains on my feet, padlock on my hand
It's all on account of stealing a woman's man

It was early this morning that I had my trial

It was early this morning that I had my trial
Ninety days on the county road, and judge didn't even smile.

Overall Meaning

Ma Rainey's "Chain Gang Blues" is a blues song that describes the story of a female narrator who finds herself in trouble with the law. The lyrics convey feelings of despair, sadness, and loneliness that are common themes in blues music. The song's opening verse talks about the singer's conviction and the recording of her sentence by the court clerk. She emphasizes that she is just a poor woman in trouble and knows that she now faces a bleak future as part of the county gang.

The following verses describe the emotional turmoil the singer experiences as she grapples with the weight of her sentence. She sings of her days of sorrow and nights of woe, and mentions her ball and chain, which is symbolic of her entrapment and confinement. The final verse reveals that the singer was convicted of stealing another woman's man, which sheds light on the social and gender dynamics of the time. The song ends with the singer's resignation to her fate as she acknowledges her 90-day sentence on the county road.

Overall, Ma Rainey's "Chain Gang Blues" is a powerful commentary on the cruelty of the criminal justice system and the ways in which it can trap marginalized individuals, particularly women. The song speaks to a broader struggle for freedom and autonomy that is at the heart of the blues.

Line by Line Meaning

The judge found me guilty, the clerk he wrote it down
I've been convicted and the crime was recorded

Just a poor gal in trouble, I know I'm county road bound
I'm just a woman in some major trouble, and I'm soon to be on the road

Many days of sorrow, many nights of woe
I've experienced countless days of pain and nights of misery

And a ball and chain everywhere I go
I carry the burden of my punishment everywhere I am

Chains on my feet, padlock on my hand
My feet are restrained, and my hands are locked up

It's all on account of stealing a woman's man
The reason for my sentence is that I took someone's significant other

It was early this morning that I had my trial
My trial took place earlier today

Ninety days on the county road, and judge didn't even smile
I have to spend 90 days on the county road and the judge didn't seem to care

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THOMAS A. DORSEY, CHARLES PARKER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS