Known as the “Mother of the Blues,” Rainey was one of the first blues singers to record her music, and she is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the genre. She was also an accomplished songwriter and pianist, and her music has been widely covered and performed by other artists.
Rainey was born in Columbus, Georgia, and began performing at a young age. She toured the vaudeville circuit in the early 1900s, and in 1923, she made her first recordings for the Paramount label. She went on to record over 100 songs for Paramount, Okeh, and other labels, and her music became popular throughout the United States and Europe.
In the 1930s, Rainey’s career began to decline due to the rise of new singers and the changing tastes of the music industry. She continued to perform until the late 1930s, and she died of a heart attack in 1939.
Rainey’s music is characterized by her powerful, gravelly voice and her soulful, emotive delivery. She sang about a variety of topics, including love, loss, and social injustice, and her songs often reflected the struggles and experiences of African Americans in the early 20th century.
Rainey’s music has had a profound impact on the development of the blues, and she is considered one of the genre’s most important figures. She was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1983 and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2023.