GERTRUDE "MA" RAINEY, MADAM- 1923/1928 - BLUES OH BLUES

INCLUDED WITH THIS CD IS A FOUR PAGE LEAFLET GIVING COMPLETE TRACK LISTINGS, TOGETHER WITH PERSONNEL AND WRITERS, AND A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF THE LADY HERSELF.

THE CATALOGUE NUMBER OF THIS STILL SEALED CD IS: CD 53281.

Blues Oh Blues (Gerturde Rainey) (k); Oh Papa Blues (Herbert, Russell) (k); Big Boy Blues (Gertrude Rainey) (k); Damper Down Blues (Gertrude Rainey) (k); "Ma" Rainey's Black Bottom (Gertrude Rainey) (l); Hellish Rag (unknown) (l); Ice Bag Papa (unknown) (l); Black Cat Hoot Owl Blues (Dorsey, Gertrude Rainey) (m); Prove It On Me Blues (Gertrude Rainey) (m); Daddy Goodbye Blues (Gertrude Rainey) (n); Black Eye Blues (T A Dorsey) (n); Don't Fish In My Sea (Gertrude Rainey, Smith) (j); Weepin' Woman Blues (Gerturde Rainey, Smith) (i); Broken Soul Blues (H S Parham) (h); Mountain Jack Blues (S Harris) (g); Stack O' Lee Blues (Taylor, Williams) (f); Wringing And Twisting Blues (P Carter) (f); Jelly Bean Blues (Gertrude Rainey, Arant) (e); See See Rider Blues (Gertrude Rainey, Arant) (e); Booze And Blues (J G Suddoth) (d); "Ma" Rainey's Mystery Record (Dorsey, Early) (c); Lawd Send Me A Man Blues (Gertrude Rainey) (c); Honey Where You Been So Long? (T Delaney) (b); Walking Blues (Gertrude Rainey, Lovie Austin) (a).

(a)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY LOVIE AUSTIN AND HER BLUES SERENADERS:

Tommy Ladnier (cornet); Lovie Austin (piano).

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, DECEMBER 1923.

(b)- Same as (a), but Charles Harris (alto sax) added.

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, PROBABLY MARCH, 1924.

(c)- Same as (b).

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, PROBABLY MAY, 1924.

(d)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY HER GEORGIA JAZZ BAND:

Howard Scott (cornet); Charlie Green (trombone); Don Redman (clarinet); Fletcher Henderson (piano); Charlie Dixon (banjo); Unknown (percussion).

RECORDED IN NEW YORK, PROBABLY OCTOBER 15th, 1924.

(e)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY HER GEORGIA JAZZ BAND:

Louis Armstrong (cornet); Charlie Green (trombone); Buster Bailey (clarinet); Fletcher Henderson (piano); Charlie Dixon (banjo); Unknown (percussion).

RECORDED IN NEW YORK, PROBABLY OCTOBER 16th, 1924.

(f)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY HER GEORGIA JAZZ BAND:

Joe Smith (cornet); Charlie Green (trombone); Buster Bailey (clarinet); Coleman hawkins (bass sax); Fletcher Henderson (piano); Charlie Dixon (banjo).

RECORDED IN NEW YORK, EARLY DECEMBER, 1925.

(g)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY:

Jimmy Blythe (piano).

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, PROBABLY MARCH, 1926.

(h)- "ma" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY HER GEORGIA BAND:

Homer Hobson (cornet); Albert Wynn (trombone); Tom Bronw (clarinet, alto sax); possibly Doc Cheatham (soprano sax); Lil Henderson (paino); Rip Bassett (banjo); Ben Thigpen (drums).

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, PROBABLY JUNE, 1926.

(i)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY HER GEROGIA BAND:

Possibly B T Wingfield (cornet); possibly Johnny Dodds (clarinet); Jimmy Blythe or Tiny Paharm (piano).

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, PROBABLY NOVEMBER, 1926.

(j)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY:

Jimmy Blythe (piano).

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, PROBABLY DECEMBER, 1926.

(k)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY HER GEORGIA BAND:

Shirley Clay (trumpet); Kid Ory (trombone); Claude Hopkins (piano); Unknown (banjo, tuba).

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, PROBABLY AUGUST, 1927.

(l)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY:

Shirley Clay (cornet); possibly Ike Rodgers or Albert Wynn (trombone); possibly Artie Starks (clarinet); Unknown (piano, drums, male talking on Oh Papa Blues and Damper Down Blues).

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, PROBABLY DECEMBER, 1927.

(m)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY HER TUB JUG WASHBOARD BAND:

Herman brown (kazoo, washboard, tuba); Georgia Tom Dorsey (piano); Martell Pettiford (banjo); Carl Reid (jazzhorn, jug).

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, PROBABLY JUNE, 1928.

(n)- "MA" RAINEY ACCOMPANIED BY:

Georgia Tom Dorsey (piano); Tampa red (drums).

RECORDED IN CHICAGO, PROBABLY SEPTEMBER, 1928.

Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was born in Columbus, GA on April 26th, 1886. She wasn't the first blues singer to make records, but by rights she should have been.

In an era when women were the marquee names in blues, Ma Rainey was once the most celebrated of all; the "Mother of the Blues" had been singing for more than 20 years before she made her recording debut for Paramount in 1923. With the advent of blues records, Ma became even more influentiall, immortalizing such songs as C C Rider and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Like other classic blues divas, she had a repertoire of pop and minstrel sonngs as well as blues, but she maintained a heavier, tougher vocal delivery that the cabaret blues singers who followed.

Ma's records featured her with jug bands, guitar duos and bluesmen such as Tampa Red, in addition to the more customary horns-and-piano jazz band accompaniment, which occasionally included such luminaries as Louis Armstrong, Don Redman, Kid Ory and Fletcher Henderson.

Born and raised in Columbus, GA, Ma Rainey (born Gertrude Pridgett) began singing professionally when she was a teenager, performing with a number of minstrel and medicine shows. In 1904 she married William "Pa" Rainey and changed her name to "Ma". The couple performed as "Rainey and Rainey, Assasinators of the Blues" and toured throughout the south, performing with several minstrel shows, circuses and tent shows. According to legend, she gave a young Bessie Smith vocal lessons during this time.

By the early 1920s, Ma had become a featured performer on the Theatre Owners Booking Association circuit.

In 1923, Ma Rainey signed a contract with Paramount Records. Although her recording career lasted only a mere six years (her final sessions were in 1928), she recorded over a hundred songs and many of them became genuine blues classics. During these sessions - captured on this CD - she was supported by some of the most talented blues and jazz musicians of her era.

Rainey's recording and performances were extremely popular amongst balck audiences - particularly in the southern United States. After reaching the height of her popularity in the late 1920s, Gertrude's career faded away, as blues singing became less popular. She retired from performing in 1933, settling in her hometown of Columbus.

Ma Rainey died of a heart attack in December 1939, leaving behind an immense recorded legacy, which continued to move and influence successive generations of blues, country and rock 'n' roll musicians.

In 1983, Ma Rainey was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall Of Fame - seven years later, she was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame.

This CD receives a maximum five star ***** rating in the 2nd edition of the All Music Guide To The Blues.

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