“Mother of the Blues” Ma Rainey Is Restored to Full Glory
Ma Rainey’s Mother of the Blues: The Complete Paramount Recordings 1923-1928 is a treasure trove that fully lives up to both of Rainey’s famous sobriquets.
Ma Rainey
How Pioneering Blues Women Were All But Written out of “Official” Blues History
While industry gatekeepers were invested in a specific image of black performance, black performers themselves had different ideas.
Singing the Low-Down, Down-Low Blues
Women in jazz can sing about their same-sex experiences, while men tend to stay deeply in the closet. Odd, considering the genre once embraced such dalliances.