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.
Tough Luck Blues
Ma Rainey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When a black cat crosses you, bad luck I heard it said
One must′ve started' cross me, got half-way and then fell dead
Things sure breakin′ hard, worse than ever before
Things sure breakin' hard, worse than ever before
My sugar told me, speak to him no more
Yeah, my right hand′s raised to the good Lord above
If they was throwin′ away money, I'd have on boxing gloves
If it was rainin′ down soup, thick as number one sand
If it was rainin' down soup, thick as number one sand
I′d have a fork in my pocket and a sifter in my hand
My friend committed suicide, while I was away at sea
My friend committed suicide, while I was away at sea
They want to lock me up for murder in first degree
Ma Rainey's Tough Luck Blues is a song about the hardships of life, especially when things seem to go wrong one after the other. The lyrics suggest that there is no escaping bad luck when it comes, and even the simple crossing of a black cat can signal worse things to come. The singer of the song acknowledges the obstacles of life and how they are worse than ever before. Her sugar tells her to speak to him no more, most likely due to the stress and strain of their difficult times.
In the chorus section, the singer raises her right hand to the good Lord above, wishing for some relief from her hardships. She even jokes about wanting to fight someone for money, as desperation seems to set in. The final verse deals with the difficult reality of losing a friend to suicide while being away at sea, and the accusation of being locked up for murder, alluding to the racism and injustice of the time.
Overall, the song Tough Luck Blues highlights the struggles that people, particularly African Americans, faced in the early 20th century in the United States.
Line by Line Meaning
When a black cat crosses you, bad luck I heard it said
I've heard that when a black cat crosses your path, it's a sign of bad luck; maybe someone cursed me because everything is going wrong for me.
One must've started' cross me, got half-way and then fell dead
I feel like someone hexed me or put a spell on me because everything I do seems to fail.
Things sure breakin' hard, worse than ever before
Life has been tough lately; things aren't going well and seem to be getting worse.
My sugar told me, speak to him no more
My significant other told me to stop talking to someone, maybe because they were bad news or causing problems.
Yeah, my right hand's raised to the good Lord above
I'm asking for help from God or a higher power to get me through these tough times.
If they was throwin' away money, I'd have on boxing gloves
I'm so desperate for money, I would fight to get it if I had to, even if it was being given away for free.
If it was rainin' down soup, thick as number one sand
I'm so hungry and desperate for food, that if it was raining soup, I'd be ready with a fork and sifter to catch as much as I could.
My friend committed suicide, while I was away at sea
While I was at sea, my friend took their own life, and now I'm being accused of being responsible and facing serious charges.
They want to lock me up for murder in first degree
The authorities are accusing me of committing a serious crime, and I'm at risk of being imprisoned for a long time.
Writer(s): Ma Rainey, Randall
Contributed by Jayden E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bradford Eclectic
Thanks so much for posting this! This is the real Blues with not everyone necessarily tuned up, but doing their part.