Why did ma rainey die? Ma Rainey Georgia Jazz Band pose for a studio group shot c 1924 with 'Gabriel', Albert Wynn, Dave Nelson, Ma Rainey, Ed Pollack and Thomas A Dorsey. Ma Rainey [1] Singer For the Record… [2] Discovered by Paramount Records [3] “Madam Rainey,” A Reigning Blues Queen [4] The Wild Cats Jazz Band [5] Retired from the Music Business [6] Selected discography [7] Sources [8] The first popular stage performer to incorporate au thentic blues in her song Her stage presence was powerful and demanding and her ability to carry an audience at a young age were what drew Bessie Smith to her as an inspiration. If you know the answer to this question, please register to join our limited beta program and start the conversation right now! Ma Rainey’s singing style was strong, energetic, and had a moaning quality to it that differentiated it from other female blues artists. But if there really was such a thing as a classic-blues singer, it was Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, an artist to whom even Smith owed a considerable debt. Gertrude Pridgett, the woman the world now knows as the blues singer Ma Rainey, was born in Columbus, Ga., in 1886 and left home as soon as she was able to make her own way. Ma Rainey was born on April 26, 1886 and died on December 22, 1939. Ma Rainey died of a heart attack on Dec. 22, 1939. When did Ma Rainey die? Ma Rainey would have been 53 years old at the time of death or 129 years old today. She is considered to be the first woman to introduce bl… The golden age of the blues seemed to be fading and, as it did, Rainey returned to her Georgia hometown. Businesswoman and entertainer Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, known as the Mother of Blues, was the most popular blues singer/ songwriter of the 1920s. How did Taylor Rainey die? All of her 78s have been reissued on CD.. Ma Rainey [1] Singer For the Record… [2] Discovered by Paramount Records [3] “Madam Rainey,” A Reigning Blues Queen [4] The Wild Cats Jazz Band [5] Retired from the Music Business [6] Selected discography [7] Sources [8] The first popular stage performer to … 2" in the 1940s, some years after Rainey's death, led to endless speculation and gossip that Ma was still alive. Ma Rainey was born on April 26, 1886 and died on December 22, 1939. “People it sure look lonesome since Ma Rainey been gone,” Memphis Minnie sang in a song she wrote for Rainey in 1944. Unanswered Questions. Nine years later, Ma Rainey was honored with a U.S. postage stamp. A significant exception was Smith, the unchallenged Queen of Blues, whose voice and delivery no other singer could match. She did not publicly identify as a lesbian, but some of her later musical lyrics and an arrest for throwing an “indecent” party toward the end of her career suggest she had romantic relationships with women. “But she left little Minnie to carry the good works on.” Related Questions. Answer. "Ma" Rainey (born Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett; c. April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was one of the earliest known American professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record. The blues guitarist and vocalist Memphis Minnie recorded a … Born Gertrude Pridgett in Columbus, GA, in 1886, Ma Rainey is widely regarded as among the best of the early 20th-century blues singers. “People it sure look lonesome since Ma Rainey been gone,” Memphis Minnie sang in a song she wrote for Rainey in 1944. Ma Rainey saw the writing on the wall. She was billed as The Mother of the Blues. Since it was generally believed Ma never appeared north of Virginia, a woman who did appear in Harlem as "Ma Rainey No. Ma Rainey would have been 53 years old at the time of death or 129 years old today. Ma Rainey, considered the mother of blues in many ways birthed a black female sexuality that is confined by neither respectability nor sexual depravity. In her thirty-five years of touring and recordings she made with Paramount, the Georgia native did much to establish the "classic" blues in American musical life. "Ma Rainey probably did pass some of her singing experience on to Bessie," explained Chris Albertson in the liner notes to Giants of Jazz, "but the instruction must have been rudimentary. Ma Rainey was born on April 26, 1886 and died on December 22, 1939. We need you to answer this question! Asked in Celebrity Births Deaths and Ages She died from a heart attack in 1939 at the age of 53 but her legacy lived on. When are we excused for our erroneous conscience. The newly single Rainey performed with her own backing band, billing herself as Madam Gertrude “Ma” Rainey and Her Georgia Smart Sets. Ma Rainey would have been 53 years old at the time of death or 129 years old today. Ma Rainey, née Gertrude Pridgett, (born April 26, 1886, Columbus, Georgia, U.S. —died December 22, 1939, Columbus ), American singer who was known as the “mother of the blues” and who was recognized as the first great professional blues vocalist. She was born into a family of minstrel performers and first appeared onstage when she was 14, and at age 18 married William "Pa" Rainey, a … She died from a heart attack in 1939 at the age of 53 but her legacy lived on. Wiki User August 12, 2011 2:49PM. Find Ma Rainey bio, music, credits, awards, & streaming links on AllMusic - The "Mother of the Blues," an icon of the genre,… She is considered to be the first woman to introduce bl… Today, the home she built for her mother at 805 Fifth Avenue in Columbus, Georgia, has been restored as the Ma Rainey House and Blues Museum, where visitors can view the great blues singer’s piano, photos, contracts, and other memorabilia.