Reflecting on Ma Rainey's personal life, she was a married woman. Ma Rainey's has an all-star cast, but the majority of the movie is a face-off between Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman. ", Why the Mayo Clinic Diet Is One of 2021's Best, 7 Major Reasons You Should Try Dry January. She is known as the “Mother of the Blues”. "There was no one person that I picked to really [base her character off of]," Taylour tells Women's Health. A member of the First African Baptist Church, she began performing in black minstrel shows. Ma Rainey was an African-American blues singer. Ma is also credited for breaking new ground through the narratives told in her songs, as several of the tunes feature strong feminist elements in the lyrics, as Angela Davis noted in Blues Legacies and Black Feminism. For instance, the song Ma is seen recording with her band, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," was an actual number written in response to the 1920s dance craze known as the black bottom, which originated in the Southern Black community (and was reportedly named after a predominantly Black neighborhood in Detroit). On December 18, Netflix released the new film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, a drama adapted from a play of the same name, written by late Pulitzer-winning playwright August Wilson. Why trust us? ", "We know what the atmosphere is to be alive at this time," Taylour says, noting how it was illegal to be gay, and Black people didn't yet have the rights and protections they fought for in the Civil Rights Movement. Her sturdy, tough vocals wiped away any memory of other blues singers. While Ma did live in Chicago in 1927, had relationships with women, and traveled with a band, all of the characters in the play — Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige), Butler (Colman Domingo), Slow Drag (Michael Potts), Toledo (Glynn Turman), Sylvester (Dusan Brown), Sturdyvant (Jonny Coyne), and Levee (Chadwick Boseman) — are fictional. On February 2, 1904, Pridgett married comedy songster William "Pa" Rainey. Taylour considered it her duty to carry on that revolution through how she portrayed Ma and Dussie's relationship. “Ma” Rainey gained immense popularity on the Southern Theater Circuit. "So, when her manager asks her to sign [a contract], she knows her power, she's very, very smart, but she doesn't even know what she's signing," Taylour says. At the age of eighteen, she married William “Pa” Rainey, who went on to become her manager and mentor. At the age of 18, she married William “Pa” Rainey, which is when she adopted the name “Ma.” And, later the couple went on to adopt a son named Danny. They were also recognized for being Rabbit’s Foot Company. Shortly after beginning her career, [Gertrude Pridgett] met the man who would become her husband. Ma separated from Pa in 1916 and went on to have her own successful solo career, playing with greats like Louis Armstrong and releasing her first record with Paramount Records in 1923. rumored relationships with her female dancers and with, The True Story Behind New Movie 'Breakthrough', The True Story Behind 'Mindhunter' on Netflix, The True Story Behind 'The Last Czars' on Netflix, The Haunting True Story of Henry Lee Lucas, The True Story Behind 'The Pharmacist' on Netflix, Of Lice and Men: The Story of a True Classic. Hall of Fame Essay. When she was just a teenager, Gertrude started traveling with vaudeville acts, which New York Times jazz critic Giovanni Russonello describes as "cabaret-like shows that developed out of minstrelsy in the mid-1800s and catered largely to white audiences." Songbird of the South During the Black Arts Movement of the '60s, poet Al Young famously wrote "A Dance for Ma Rainey," to honor her artistry. While Ma Rainey was married to William, her lyrics were heavy on lesbian content. I'm really excited about that," he told The Hollywood Reporter. Throughout her career, Ma Rainey recorded over 90 albums. To Dussie Mae, Ma represents the possibility of being successful as a Black woman. "I just felt like I [had to] honor those that didn't get to do what they wanted to do, or had to live an oppressed, secretive life," she says. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom will stream on Netflix later this month. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, a movie adaptation of August Wilson's play starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, came to Netflix on December 18.; Set in 1920s Chicago, the play follows a day in the life of Ma Rainey, a blues singer, and her band. Viola Davis stars as the titular Ma Rainey alongside the late Chadwick Boseman (who some already speculate could win a posthumous Oscar for his performance as the band's trumpet player, Levee. Most recently, in 2017, the Rainey McCullers School of Arts in Columbus, Georgia was named after both Ma and novelist Carson McCullers. The fact that there were any was remarkable, given the times. Per Rolling Stone, Ma is hailed as a queer icon for being so open about her attraction to both men and women in her songs, though she never publicly identified as bisexual. Ma Rainey may not have been the first woman to sing the blues, but she might as well have. It was believed that she was just as into women as she was men, if not more. What The Heck Is Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy? She is known for her charismatic stage performance and vibrant outfits. In 1923, Ma became one of the first Black artists signed to Paramount, and she made her first of roughly 100 recordings. the year Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is set in — Ma was in her forties and had already made recordings with various musicians under the name Ma Rainey and Her Georgia Jazz Band, including music giants such as Willie "The Lion" Smith and Louis Armstrong. ... Ma Rainey … Everyone on the set of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom saw how Chadwick Boseman ‘s wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, cared for him. Per Robert Springer's "Folklore, Commercialism and Exploitation: Copyright in the Blues" and History.com, it was common practice for white-owned record labels to get Black artists to sign away their recording rights (and then have white artists release covers of their songs), underpay Black artists, and make it difficult for Black artists to receive the royalties they earned. Though Ma Rainey's lovers aren't documented, she was arrested for hosting an orgy with female members of her chorus, according to PBS, and may have had a relationship with her protegé and fellow Blues pioneer Bessie Smith, per Billboard. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, Rumors Emerge That Kevin Is Leaving 'Yellowstone', All the Places to Watch 'When Calls the Heart'. (Denzel … Her first husband was Will Rainey, to whom she was married for 10 years before they separated. They just didn’t realize how … Soon after, in 1904, Ma married her husband, William "Pa" Rainey. Three of Ma's hundreds of songs contain references to her bisexuality. It doesn't get any better than that. By the age of 16, Bessie met Ma and started traveling with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, a touring variety show that played to rural populations of the South and Midwest, NPR reports. She formed the Alabama Fun Makers Company with her husband, Will Rainey, but in 1906 they both joined Pat Chappelle's much larger and more popular Rabbit's Foot Company, in which they were billed together as "Black Face Song and Da… Kayla Keegan covers all things in the entertainment, pop culture, and celebrity space for Good Housekeeping. "I had decided that Ma is her lover, her friend, her mother that she didn't have.". ", Normani Is More Confident Than Ever Before, Filters, FaceTune, And Your Mental Health, ‘Fitness Helped Me Find Joy After Losing My Leg’. Though her music temporarily fell out of print when the Great Depression hit and Paramount closed down, her catalog was revived in the 1960s when the songs were picked up by Milestone and Biograph labels, per the New York Times. "He captures our humor, our vulnerability, our tragedies, our trauma. The New York Times reports that the duo eventually became known as "Ma and Pa Rainey, the Assassinators of the Blues." Following “Fences” and “Ma Rainey,” he intends to continue adapting Wilson’s famed American Century Cycle, a 10-play series spanning each decade of the 20th century. The real Ma Rainey came of age in Columbus, Georgia at the turn of the 20th century.She was born Gertrude Pridgett and gained her infamous stage name from marrying Will “Pa” Rainey… Sadly the couple decided to part their ways after their relationship in 1916 after it started to seem toxic for each other. "All they want is my voice. She began her career as a performer at a talent show in Columbus, Georgia, when she was about 12 to 14 years old. At the end of the film, it's clear that Ma knows that signing is a form of surrender. Inspired by the performer, she allegedly started singing the same song as an encore at her own shows. But there's a dark side to Ma's rise in the music industry—her inability to read meant that white managers took advantage of her. Watching Viola depict Ma, it's clear the Oscar-winning actress did a lot of preparation to portray the powerful, bawdy, and charismatic singer. To depict the Black experience throughout the 20th century, August penned a play for each decade — Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was set in the 1920s, The Piano Lesson was in the '30s, and Fences (both Denzel and Viola starred in the 2016 film version of the play) was in the '50s. Although Viola worried she wouldn't be able to sing well enough to play the iconic "Mother of Blues," after reading the script she knew she had to get involved. Ma claims she invented the term "blues" when asked about the types of songs she liked to sing. Sadly, just years after her retirement began, Ma died of a heart attack on December 22, 1939. In 1904, she married comedian, dancer, and singer Will Rainey; together they toured the South with a variety of minstrel groups, billing themselves as Ma and Pa Rainey. The New York Times reports that the duo eventually became known as "Ma and Pa Rainey, the Assassinators of the Blues." "But in terms of Dussie, I actually just reached from the bottom of me—personalizing someone who wants to be loved, validated, seen, wants to find a way out, wants to be around exciting people and energy and spontaneity.". Her legacy as an LGBTQ pioneer also continues to be celebrated. Postal Service commemorative stamp in 1994. Back in 1904, Ma Rainey was married to William “Pa” Rainey. Viola reveals her favorite Christmas song, and talks about the moment she realized she was going to be an actress, her mom inviting 40 extra people to her wedding, her new movie Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, the late great Chadwick Boseman, getting an amazing note and gifts from Oprah, her ten-year-old daughter's Christmas list, and her husband's birthday falling on December 24th. When the black bottom exploded in popularity during the Roaring Twenties, several artists, including Ma, recorded dance tracks for it. Ma Rainey net worth before her death was around $2 million. (One scene shows Ma refusing to sing unless the producers buy her a Coca-Cola. "They only value you for this one condition, and they don't even see you as human, but they see you enough to take your voice—literally and symbolically. In the 1980s, Ma was front and center in pop culture once again thanks to the Broadway staging of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, starring Theresa Merritt as the acclaimed singer (in the 2003 revival, Whoopi Goldberg portrayed Ma). Ma Rainey came to love the genre so much that she soon started performing blues songs. Danny joined their act as well. Women's Health may earn commission from the links on this page, but we only feature products we believe in. "It's like any way out of where I'm coming from is better than what I'm in right now, so I'm going for the ride," she says of her character's motivation. Together, as “Ma and Pa Rainey,” the couple travelled around Georgia, performing and making a name for their act. Why trust us? She’d been a popular solo performer before she teamed with her husband William “Pa” Rainey, forming together the “Assassinators of the Blues.” In … Ma Rainey was the real-life "Mother of the Blues," whose cabaret-style tent shows in the 1920s South led her to a lucrative recording career. She was with her first husband, Will Rainey, for at least 10 years before separating, according to the New York Times. her protegé and fellow Blues pioneer Bessie Smith. In his play, August made sure to celebrate Ma's sexuality (including her rumored relationships with her female dancers and with Bessie Smith) with the inclusion of the fictional character Dussie Mae, portrayed by Taylour Paige in the Netflix movie. "I think that [August] captures our humor as Black people," she told CBS News. Around the same time, Sandra R. Lieb published a book about Ma's life titled Mother of the Blues: A Study of Ma Rainey. In an article for The New York Times before his death in 2005, the legendary dramatist wrote: To honor August, Denzel made it known that he intends to bring all 10 of the American Century Cycle plays to the big screen in the years to come. Ma Rainey was also married twice—to two men. ), "I think one of the reasons that August was drawn to her is [that] she lived outside the rules. Whatever you heard before, it was not the blues—because no one else sang the blues like Ma Rainey. She was a popular solo performer before teaming up with her husband William “Pa” Rainey to form the “Blues Assassin”. You certainly never saw it in any other part of American culture. "Being around these people, being in a relationship with Ma, it's just like it's camaraderie, it's survival, it's a community," she adds. Though, per The Guardian, records suggest Ma was born in Alabama in September of 1882, the singer herself often said she was born on April 26, 1886 in Columbus, Georgia. Even during the 1980s, white male performers like George Michael and Freddie Mercury struggled to come out as queer, so it was pretty revolutionary for a Black woman to be singing about queer love in the 1920s. Whoopi Breaks Up Joy-Meghan Spat on 'The View', Kate Middleton Celebrates Her 39th Birthday, HBO Max's 'Friends' Reunion Special Is Happening, How to Read the 'Bridgerton' Books in Order, Fans React to the 'ZEP' Season 2 Premiere Episode, All the Details So Far About 'The Crown' Season 5, The Sussexes' Royal Exit Was Harry's Idea. For much of the 1920s, Ma lived in Chicago and performed at house parties and concerts around the city while recording tracks for Paramount. Does Height Really Matter in Relationships? Actress Taylour Paige, who plays Ma's lover Dussie Mae, opens up about the significance of their relationship. The stories highlighted in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom are also based on the real experiences of Black Americans in the early 20th century. And he humanizes us. Soon after, in 1904, Ma married her husband, William "Pa" Rainey. "If you were a Black woman, if you waited around for somebody to acknowledge your power, it was never going to happen. In the film, Ma Rainey (a striking Viola Davis) is gathered with her band by her manager to record some of her most popular tracks for distribution. Where Is Tiger Woods' Ex-Wife Elin Nordegren Now? Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is the actress' second adaptation of an August Wilson stage show, following her Oscar-winning turn in 2016's Fences. Ma was still performing in the early 1930s, but after officially quitting show business in 1935, she returned to Columbus, Georgia to run two entertainment venues and participate in church activities. Here's what you need to know about the inspiration behind Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Rainey is believed to have remarried, though little is known about her second husband. 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