History of Jazz

Ma Rainey & Bessie Smith

(1886-1939, 1894-1937)

Two well-known blues singers of the early 20th century were Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. Ma Rainey became popular as a result of performing on road show tours of the small towns of the American South. By the time Ma Rainey's first recording was released in 1923, she had become a well-known performer throughout the southern United States.

Ma Rainey and her husband and road show manager Pa Rainey are said to have discovered Bessie Smith on one of their many tours. Smith was one of the most successful black performing artists of her time, producing nearly 200 recordings during her short life. Both she and Ma Rainey had a larger-than-life presence on stage and were notorious for their scandalous lifestyles. Though they performed for the same audiences, Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith did not view each other as competition and remained friends throughout their careers.

Did you know?

• Ma Rainey's real name was Gertrude.
• In the 1920's, Bessie Smith earned as much as $2000 a week performing in the theater, a remarkable sum at that time.
• Bessie Smith was known as "The Empress of the Blues."

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