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.
Moonshine Blues
Ma Rainey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've got to leave this town, I've got to go before the sun goes down
'Cause I done got tired of these coppers running me around
I stayed in jail last night and all last night before
I stayed in jail last night and all last night before
I would have been there now if my daddy hadn't sprung the do'
I stay in so much trouble, that's why I've got to go
But when I get out this time, I won't sell moonshine no more
I done packed my trunk and done shipped it on down the road
I done packed my trunk and done shipped it on down the road
Now I won't be bothered with these big bad bulls no more
Just keep me a-moving going from door to door
Just keep me a-moving going from door to door
I done made up in my mind not to sell moonshine no more
Moonshine Blues by Ma Rainey is a song about setting oneself free from a troubling situation. The song talks about the singer's decision to leave the town and move on to a new place before the sunset. This decision is made in order to escape the troubles caused by the police who are constantly chasing her. The singer expresses that she has had enough of running around from the cops and being in trouble all the time.
The second part of the song talks about the singer's stay in jail the night before and how she would still be there if her father hadn't come to her rescue. She sings about the multitude of troubles she's been facing, which causes her to make that final decision of leaving the town. However, the singer also promises that when she gets out this time, she won't sell moonshine anymore. She has packed her things and is determined to move on to a new place where she can live peacefully.
Ma Rainey's Moonshine Blues can be interpreted as a song about freedom and seeking a better life. The singer's decision to leave the town reflects her desire to break free from the troubles and find a safe haven somewhere else. This song can be considered a representation of the resilience and determination of a person who wants to overcome any obstacle in their way and move forward in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got to leave this town, I've got to go before the sun goes down
I need to leave this place and go away right now, before the sunset falls upon this town.
'Cause I done got tired of these coppers running me around
I am exhausted by the constant harassment and chasing from the police.
I stayed in jail last night and all last night before
I was kept imprisoned in jail for the whole of the last night as well as the night before.
I would have been there now if my daddy hadn't sprung the do'
I was going to stay in jail, but my father came and bailed me out.
I stay in so much trouble, that's why I've got to go
I am always in some sort of trouble, and that is why I need to leave.
But when I get out this time, I won't sell moonshine no more
Once I am released this time, I promise I won't engage in any more moonshine business.
I done packed my trunk and done shipped it on down the road
I have already prepared my belongings and sent them away to my next destination.
Now I won't be bothered with these big bad bulls no more
I hope to be free from the annoying and frightening police officers.
Just keep me a-moving going from door to door
I want to keep moving and travelling from one place to another, without staying too long at any one place.
I done made up in my mind not to sell moonshine no more
I have decided and made a firm resolution that I will not indulge in selling moonshine anymore.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Stephen Andrew Harris, Kenneth Victor Montgomery
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MALIRIPPA
Rest In peace ma rainey and chadwick boseman
@jgsimmons6
What strikes me most is the electricity she creates by times but fiery delivery. Marvelous.
@omoyemoja-colafiuymi5505
Rip🙏🏾❤️ MA Rainey 🙏🏾may you rest in power😇and your legacy live on
@Daniela_Rocanrol
Dios, esto tiene cien años que se grabó. 🥺❤
@rickeytickey6842
Columbia Records had Bessie Smith 'cover' every hit blues song of the day, when she began her recording career. She hit them all out of the park, with the exception of the two recordings of Gertrude "Ma" Rainey's signature songs, Moonshine Blues and Boweavil Blues. Even with Columbia's superior technology, Bessie's renditions seem amateurish compared to the Mother of the Blues'. As a side note, Louis Armstrong, who played with both of them, said Ma Rainey was the greater of the two. Even when she is reeling and rocking, howling like a hound, no artist will ever approach the level of artistry that Ma brought to the singing of the blues.
@roybo1930
There was NOTHING Amateurish about Bessie Smith! This version is AWESOME! I Have it on a Purple Labeled Paramount 78!
@ausendundeinenacht1
I think they are BOTH the BEST Ever
@ausendundeinenacht1
I feel, Ma Rainey sounded less commercial, than Bettie Smith.
@JaneFrieman
Ma Rainey can belt out a tune like Bessie Smith can.🎙️
@samanthacaine5029
You mean......Bessie Smith can belt out a tune like Ma Rainey!!!!!!