Was ma rainey gay
When people think about the early blues today, they watch over to imagine rugged, working-class men with guitars sitting at the crossroads making deals with the devil. Yet according to Paige McGinley's Singing the Blues, the first recorded account of blues, from 1910, describes the performance of Johnnie Woods, a female impersonator; the blues was sung by his ventriloquist dummy.
Woods wasn't an accident or an exception; the image of blues as an expression of authentic, swaggering masculinity is a latter-day myth, promulgated by such performers (impersonators?) as Mick Jagger and Robert Plant. Originally, though, blues and the closely related form of jazz embraced a much wider range of gender expressions and sexualities. Blues and jazz were marginal forms in the early 20th century not just because they were African-American, but also because they dealt explicitly (and sometimes very explicitly) with queer expression and gender play. Johnnie Woods was only the beginning. And arguably Woods wasn't even the beginning.
Here's a rundown of some of the most influential gender non-conforming figures in blues history.
Ma Rainey
Ma Rainey was supposedly acting as early as 1902, though she wasn't r
Ma Rainey
Gertrude "Ma Rainey" Pridgett is famous as the "Mother of the Blues" and is one of the earliest blues singers as well as one of the first generation of artists to record their work in that genre.
Born in 1886 (or possibly September 1882), she started singing in church at first before moving through different performance groups, including Rainey and Rainey: Assassinators of the Blues after her 1904 marriage to Will Rainey. In 1923, she was discovered by Paramount Records and promptly signed to their label. She made over 100 recordings throughout the next 5 years, quickly becoming a household name.
Paramount capitalized on her successes, marketing her as the "Mother of the Blues", the "Songbird of the South", and the "Paramount Wildcat", among other monikers. Ma Rainey was unapologetically blunt with her choice of lyrics. Most of her songs produce reference to affectionate affairs with men, though some songs have a noticeably bisexual tone, appreciate the 1928 ballad, "Prove It On Me Blues".
They state I do it, ain't nobody caught me Sure got to prove it on me; Went out last darkness with a crowd of my friends, They must've been
The Real Gertrude "Ma" Rainey Was a Trailblazing Bisexual Blues Singer
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, released on Netflix on Dec. 18, is already poised for Oscar nominations. With a phenomenal cast and costumes, and an electrifying score, Ma Rainey is a dazzling biopic that follows the real-life "Mother of Blues," Gertrude "Ma" Rainey. Ma, who is portrayed by the infinitely talented Viola Davis, is shown to be a trailblazer in every instinct of the word. As a Black woman in the '20s, she captivated her audience with her powerful voice, and demanded the recognition she deserved — and she got it.
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Aside from her talent, charisma, and determination, Ma Rainey is also depicted as homosexual in the movie, with a focus on her girlfriend, Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige). But was Ma actually queer? And was Dussie based on a concrete person?
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Was Ma Rainey gay?
It's believed that Ma Rainey was bisexual, due to suggestive lyrics in some of her songs, and the reality that she got busted by the police for hosting a queer orgy. Although Dussie Mae is a fictional character, Ma was romantically linked
Ma Rainey
Ma Rainey (Gertrude Pridgett)Country
United States
Birth - Death
1886 - 1939
Occupation
Entertainment
Notable Achievements
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Description
A prolific musical recorder and entertainer, Ma Rainey helped to create and popularize the newly emerging genre of the Blues during her lifetime. Her influence was so great that she has been tagged ‘the mother of the Blues’. Ma Rainey is considered the first popular stage entertainer of the blues and the first fantastic female black vocalist. She not only sang the Blues but created them.
Born as Gertrude Pridgett, she inherited her identify of Ma Rainey when she married fellow player Will Rainey in 1904. Their initial stage performances were under the call Rainey and Rainey. With a powerful and intense voice, her talents were quickly recognized and she soon signed an exclusive recording contract with Paramount Records. She made over 100 recordings, with notable songs including Bo-weevil Blues, See-See Rider, and Countin’ the Blues.
Ma Rainey’s music and singing is noteworthy for its ability to aesthetically capture the essence of the inky rural life of her upbringing and generatio