Quick Facts
- NAME: Ma Rainey
- OCCUPATION: Singer
- BIRTH DATE: April 26, 1886
- DEATH DATE: December 22, 1939
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Columbus, Georgia
- PLACE OF DEATH: Georgia
Best Known For
Singer Ma Rainey was the first popular stage entertainer to incorporate authentic blues into her song repertoire and became known as the "Mother of the Blues."
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Ma Rainey - Mini Biography (2:38)
Ma Rainey - Mini Biography
A short biography of Ma Rainey, the "Mother of the Blues,” who was a pioneer of the blues music genre. Rainey’s raw delivery landed her a record deal and her own show.
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Play NowMa Rainey. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:11, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/ma-rainey-9542413.
Ma Rainey. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/ma-rainey-9542413 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Ma Rainey." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 04:11 http://www.biography.com/people/ma-rainey-9542413.
"Ma Rainey," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/ma-rainey-9542413 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Ma Rainey," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/ma-rainey-9542413 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Ma Rainey [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/ma-rainey-9542413.
Ma Rainey, http://www.biography.com/people/ma-rainey-9542413 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Ma Rainey. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/ma-rainey-9542413. Accessed May 21, 2013.
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Foremothers of Rock
View groupIn the 1920s, women like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith were the first—and for a while, the only—artists to record the blues. American women of this era made great strides toward gaining equality and basic human rights for themselves and others in society, including attaining the right to vote and working toward social justice. The 20th century was a wide-open opportunity for women to embrace the modern world, outside of the traditional bounds of the home.
Foremothers of Rock 10 people in this group
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Famous Taureans 515 people in this group
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Famous Singers
View groupBrowse notable singers such as Mariah Carey, Johnny Cash, and Linda Ronstadt.
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