The real Rainey would be out of a job just a year later: classic blues was fading in popularity in favor of swing jazz, and the advent of talking pictures had dented the centrality of live ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) When I think about the roots of blues music—the raw honesty, the pain wrapped in poetry, the joy carved out of hardship—I think of Ma Rainey. Her voice was more than a sound; it was ...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Blues legend Gertrude “Ma” Rainey electrified Jacksonville’s LaVilla district in the early 1900s, building her reputation as the “Mother of the Blues” while breaking barriers as ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Columbus, Ga . – Columbus, Georgia is place known for many things, but one distinction the Fountain City can also claim is the ...

Blues musician Charlie Apicella’s formula for success is simple: He awakens every day creating music to make Ma Rainey proud. Apicella never met Rainey, who died in 1939, but he said it is impossible ...

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - February is Black History Month and to celebrate, WTVM is highlighting Black history in our area throughout the month. The Black Heritage Trail located in the heart of Columbus, ...

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Columbus, Georgia is place known for many things, but one distinction the Fountain City can also claim is the being the home for the “Mother of the Blues” Ma Rainey. On 805 5th ...