Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith: Two Legendary Classical Blues Artists

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey is a pivotal figure in the history of American music. She was the first person to ever perform blues and the first internationally known African American female blues singer. Her music acted as inspiration for many distinguished figures during the Harlem Renaissance, and continues to influence contemporary music and art.

She began singing solo’s at New Bethel Church. At the age of fourteen Aretha’s talent for singing was recognized by her father, and he started managing her shortly after, so he could get her a recording deal. She started off by going on the road with her father and singing at various churches while he preached. This resulted in Aretha Franklin getting signed to her first record deal with J.V.B. Records Label. Her first studio album was titled “Songs Of Faith”. Although this did not put her on the map as the Queen of Soul. Aretha decided at the age of 18 that she wanted to go in the direction of Sam Cooke and sing Pop music. It was not until she signed with the Columbia Records in 1960, that she had her first single chart the Billboard on the Hot 100 with her song “Won’t Be Long” off her first pop studio album Aretha: With the Ray Bryant Combo. With her talent Franklin was able to record in diverse genres such as vocal jazz, blues, standards, rhythm and blues and doo-wop. In 1962, she released two more studio albums: ‘The Electrifying Aretha Franklin’ and ‘The Tender,The Moving,Swinging Aretha Franklin’. Her number-one R&B singles are “Respect” in 1967, “Chain Of Fools” in 1967, “Think” in 1967, and “Share Your Love With Me” also in 1967. In 1968 Aretha performed at Dr. Martin Luther King’s Funeral. She also performed at the presidential inauguration of Jimmy Carter. Doing her music is the reason why Franklin is where she is now and why she is known as the queen of

Known as the “Empress Of Blues”, Bessie Smith was said to have revolutionized the vocal end of Blues Music. She showed a lot of pride as an independent African-American woman. Her style in performance and lyrics often reflected her lifestyle. Bessie Smith was one of the first female jazz artists, and she paved the way for many musicians who followed.

Charley Patton is known as the father of the delta Blue. His official year of birth is unknown but is speculated to be between 1887, 1891. He wasn’t born in the Mississippi Delta however, his family moved there and he spent much of his life there. I believe his Blues came from the fact he was of mixed heritage having black, Cherokee Nation and certainly not in the dominant whit culture. His family moved to the Dockery Plantation which was renowned for its favorable treatment of it sharecroppers and lenience on the musical indulgences of its residents. At the Dockery Plantation, Patton and other gave birth to the Delta Blues. He learned from a man named Henry Sloan who played what is viewed as an early Blues style. He influenced many other artists at the Dockery plantation including younger protégé‘s like Robert Johnson and Howling Wolf. Although Patton as of diminutive stature, he had a gritty, growly voice of a much bigger man which is said to have influenced the distinctive raspy voice of Wolf.

     Gwendolyn Brooks is the female poet who has been most responsive to changes in the black community, particularly in the community’s vision of itself. The first African American to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize; she was considered one of America’s most distinguished poets well before the age of fifty. Known for her technical artistry, she has succeeded in forms as disparate as Italian terza rima and the blues. She has been praised for her wisdom and insight into the African Experience in America. Her works reflect both the paradises and the hells of the black people of the world. Her writing is objective, but her characters speak for themselves. Although the

The Blues also became a hit in the 1920s after Mamie Smith recorded “Crazy Blues” and it grew into a huge part of the Jazz Industry. African Americans were given credit for the creation of the Blues industry of music as well. Bessie Smith was known as the “most famous of the 1920s Blues singers.”

She was the starving musician, the jazz singer who did all she could to stay alive and still do what she loves. The dedication she displayed to jazz is not easy to explain. She was a perfectionist in her fashion, depending upon her excellent ear, unique voice and honesty and love for people to keep her love alive.

Even after slavery, African American women are still imprisoned by their inferior role to men. The women could be from different statuses based on job, wealth, or marital status, but they are would find themselves suffering under the rules of their men. The blues “Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues” by Ida Cox and “Mamie’s Blues” by Jelly Roll Morton talk about the challenges of women living during the Harlem Renaissance. The blues surrounded the African American women during this time, and these songs talk about women facing hardships in life because they are second class citizens compared to men.

After the American Civil War black freed-man settled in the Mississippi Delta. In the Delta each African could have their own fields. Clearing fields, preventing crops from floods, and cultivating their crops were duty of the black people. Mississippi Delta region has a significant influence in the emergence of many blues musicians. When Africans settled in the Delta, they started to record blues music. Unfortunately, recording was quite expensive for them. Therefore, less people could record in the Delta region. Jasper Love, a Clarksdale blues singer, was worked with mules to clear and farm the land. Farm bell was quite important for him because daily labor began and ended with the

Ella earned many awards throughout the many years she was a singer. She received her first Grammy in 1958, for best female vocal performance. Not only at that Grammys shows was she awarded her first grammy she also became the first African American female to win a award. Along with the many Grammy she won, she also sold over 40 millions copies. Over her lifetime she recorded over 200 albums and about 2,000 songs. She was also awarded the image award for lifetime achievement and the presidential medal of freedom and The Kennedy Center for performing arts medal of honor. One of the highest honors she received was from president Ronald Reagan, The National Medal of art and the first Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award which was later named after Ella. Most people do not know that Ella did not always want to

     The Blues musical move was prominent during the 1920s and '30s, a time known as the Harlem Renaissance. Blues music characteristically told the story of

Rhythm and blues, also known today as “R & B”, has been one of the most influential genres of music within the African American Culture, and has evolved over many decades in style and sound. Emerging in the late 1940's rhythm and blues, sometimes called jump blues, became dominant black popular music during and after WWII. Rhythm and blues artists often sung about love, relationships, life troubles, and sometimes focused on segregation and race struggles. Rhythm and blues helped embody what was unique about black American culture and validate it as something distinctive and valuable.

Crowned as "The Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin is one of the most honored female vocal artists of the last 50 years. She is an American soul singer, songwriter as well as a pianist. Her soulful, soaring voice has earned her mythic status over the years. It has been said that Aretha was a child prodigy of the golden age of gospel and was the anointed successor to gospel singers Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson. Many idolize her and her musical intelligence to this day. She is said to be one of the most quintessential sounds of America alongside The Beetles, The Stones, and Louis Armstrong.

Eddie James “Son” House, Jr., an American blues singer and guitarist once stated, "People keep asking me where the blues started and all I can say is that when I was a boy we always was singing in the fields. Not real singing, you know, just hollerin', but we made up our songs about things that was happening to us at the time, and I think that's where the blues started (Cohn, 1993).”

The main theme of the blues was built upon racism in the surrounding. The music expressed the bad treatment, and starvation that blacks received from the dominant race. An example of the music is by Ma Rainey, who was one of the earliest connections between the male country blues artists that roamed the backroads of the South and their female equivalent; she made her professional debut in 1900 at the age of l4 at the Springer Opera House in Columbus, Georgia. She was one of the first to feature the blues on stage. Ma Rainey said from "Chain Gang Blues":