Ma Rainey, née Gertrude Pridgett, (born April 26, 1886, Columbus, Georgia, U.S. died December 22, 1939, Columbus), American singer who was known as the “mother of the blues” and who was recognized as the first great professional blues vocalist. While most sources state that she was born on April 26, 1886, in Columbus, Georgia, some suggest that her birth occurred in September 1882 in Alabama. Gertrude Pridgett made her first public appearance about the age of 14 in a local talent show called “Bunch of Blackberries” at the Springer Opera House in Columbus. Little else is known of her early years.
While most sources state that she was born on April 26, 1886, in Columbus, Georgia, some suggest that her birth occurred in September 1882 in Alabama. Gertrude Pridgett made her first public appearance about the age of 14 in a local talent show called “Bunch of Blackberries” at the Springer Opera House in Columbus. Little else is known of her early years. In February 1904 she married William Rainey, a vaudeville performer known as Pa Rainey, and for several years they toured with African Americanminstrel groups as a song-and-dance team. In 1902, in a small Missouri town, she first heard the sort of music that was to become known as the blues.