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.
Deep Moaning Blues
Ma Rainey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mmmn, mmmn
My bell rang this morning, didn't know which way to go
My bell rang this morning, didn't know which way to go
I had the blues so bad
I sit right down on my floor
I felt like going in the mountain, jumping over in the sea
When my Daddy stay out late he don't care a thing for me
Mmmnn, mmmn
Mmmmn, mmmn
Daddy, daddy, please come home to me
Daddy, daddy, please come home to me
I'm on my way, crazy as I can be
The lyrics to Ma Rainey's song "Deep Moaning Blues" express a sense of desperation and heartache. The first verse describes the feeling of being lost and overwhelmed as a bell rings, leaving the singer unsure of which way to go. The blues have hit the singer hard, and she is driven to sit down on the floor. This sense of despair is heightened in the second verse, where the singer says she feels like jumping into the sea or going up a mountain. These lines suggest a desire to escape from the difficulties of life or to go to a place where one can be alone and free from worries. However, the third line of this verse adds to the overall feeling of despair as the singer notes that her father doesn't care about her when he stays out late. This line implies that the singer doesn't have anyone to turn to when she's in need.
The chorus is a desperate plea for the father to come back home to the singer, highlighting her sense of loneliness and abandonment. The line "I'm on my way, crazy as I can be" suggests that the singer may be struggling with her mental health due to the overwhelming sense of despair and loneliness she feels.
Overall, "Deep Moaning Blues" is a powerful portrayal of the emotional toll that life can take on a person, particularly in times of hardship and loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
My bell rang this morning, didn't know which way to go
I woke up feeling lost and unsure about how to go on with the day
I had the blues so bad
I was feeling really down and depressed
I sit right down on my floor
I felt so low that I had to sit down on the floor
I felt like going in the mountain, jumping over in the sea
I felt like I wanted to escape from everything and go far away
When my Daddy stay out late he don't care a thing for me
When my lover stays out late, it makes me feel abandoned and neglected
Daddy, daddy, please come home to me
I long for my lover to come back to me and comfort me
I'm on my way, crazy as I can be
I am so desperate that I am willing to do anything to get my lover back
Contributed by Ava L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anointed Truth
I love Viola Davis too the moon and stars. She’s such a incredible actress.
Sam O' sullivan
Even though Viola Davis doesn’t actually sing the songs she absolutely embodies Ma Rainey! She captures her great passion and her unfathomable soul!
JLPerryTV
For the record, Viola can actually sing. But her singing isn’t a deep as this. I think they just wanted to get as close to Ma Rainey’s voice as they could.
Sam O' sullivan
@Hwazen Mohamed She does sing in some parts of the film but for most of the musical parts she’s dubbed by Maxayn Lewis. But I know what you mean about Davis, she’s THAT good!
Hwazen Mohamed
She doesn’t sing them !!!! ?? It’s can’t be , I’m sure it’s her voice
Classical Chats
Absolutely fantastic performance from everyone. Chadwick will be missed greatly. Rest in Peace
Fordie47
Viola Davis' soul-searing performance in this awesome film raises a very important question. WHO was Ma Rainey truly? She did indeed exist! RIP Ma!
Israt Jahan
Chadwick Boseman you will be missed
grand finale
Rip
Charles Lumpkin
You don’t get to take Ma’s spotlight! She owns the room!