Episode Details

Ma Rainey was performing the blues before the genre had a name. She dressed in gold and ostrich feathers, sang about desire with a frankness that scandalized polite society, and built a touring career across the Jim Crow South.

This episode covers her rise from tent shows to Paramount Records, her mentorship of Bessie Smith, and her open defiance of social norms surrounding race, gender, and sexuality.

• She began performing in talent shows at fourteen and was touring professionally by her late teens
• She mentored Bessie Smith, who became the Empress of the Blues
• She was arrested in 1925 at a gathering with young women and turned the scandal into material
• She recorded over 100 songs for Paramount Records between 1923 and 1928