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.
Sleep Talking Blues
Ma Rainey Lyrics
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You got a bad habit, daddy, talkin' in your sleep
You talk so much some these nights,
It should be worth one dollar a peep
Do all your talkin' daddy, before you go to bed
Do all your talkin' daddy, before you go to bed
If you speak out of turn, your friends will hear of you being dead
When you talk in your sleep, be sure your mama's not awake
When you talk in your sleep, be sure your mama's not awake
You call another woman's name,
You'll think you wake up in a earthquake
Do all your talking. Be careful as you can
Do all your talking. Be careful as you can
The insurance will bring in take for my man
I warned you, daddy, nice as a mama could do
I warned you, daddy, nice as a mama could do
You hear me talkin' to you: undertaker will be visiting you
Ma Rainey's song "Sleep Talking Blues" is a warning to a man who talks in his sleep, advising him to be careful of the things he says in his sleep as they might cost him dearly. The woman tells the man that he talks so much in his sleep, that it should be worth a dollar a peep. She then tells him to be careful because if he speaks out of turn, his friends will hear of him being dead.
The woman further warns the man to be mindful of his mother's presence when he talks in his sleep, for if he calls another woman's name in his sleep, he will think he's waking up in an earthquake. She urges the man to be cautious with his words, as the insurance will only bring in take for her man. The woman concludes by telling the man that she has warned him as nice as a mama could do and that he should take heed of her words, or else the undertaker would be visiting him.
The lyrics of "Sleep Talking Blues" highlight the importance of being mindful of the things we say and do, as they might come back to haunt us. The song also reveals the anxiety and insecurity that comes with being in a relationship where one's partner talks in their sleep, creating suspicions and trust issues.
Line by Line Meaning
You got a bad habit, daddy, talkin' in your sleep
You have a bad habit, father, of speaking while you are asleep
You talk so much some these nights, It should be worth one dollar a peep
You talk so much on some nights, that people should pay to hear you
Do all your talkin' daddy, before you go to bed
Speak all you want, father, before you go to sleep
If you speak out of turn, your friends will hear of you being dead
If you say something inappropriate, your friends will hear that you are dead
When you talk in your sleep, be sure your mama's not awake
When you talk in your sleep, make sure your mother is not awake
You call another woman's name, You'll think you wake up in an earthquake
If you speak out the name of another woman, you will wake up thinking there is an earthquake
Do all your talking. Be careful as you can
Speak as much as you want but be careful
The insurance will bring in take for my man
The insurance will provide for my husband
I warned you, daddy, nice as a mama could do
I warned you, father, in the nicest way a mother could
You hear me talkin' to you: undertaker will be visiting you
You should listen to me talking to you, or else the undertaker will visit you
Writer(s): Ma Rainey, Randall
Contributed by Michael L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.