Rainey, Ma

(born Gertrude Pridgett), prominent African-American blues, jazz, and vaudeville singer; b. Columbus, Ga., April 26, 1886; d. Rome, Ga., Dec. 22, 1939. Rainey made her first appearance in public in Columbus when she was 12.

After touring with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels and Tolliver's Circus, she organized her own Georgia Jazz Band. Rainey was named "the Mother of the Blues" because she was one of the first female blues singers to tour widely in the South. She recorded first in 1923 and continued to tour through the end of the decade. BESSIE SMITH cited her as a key influence on her style.

A Broadway show, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, was a success in the late '80s. It was based on Rainey's life and music.

The Depression had a major impact on both touring acts and the recording industry. Rainey struggled on but finally retired in 1935 to Columbus, Ohio. She died four years later in her native Georgia.