Gertude Rainey was a blues singer from 1920s - black, poor and illiterate she still somehow found her way to the legend as the "Mother of the Blues" and was very much loved and admired by her audience. In a time when black women had only few limited professional options (servants or prostitutes) Rainey led a whole traveling show with dancers, singers and comedians, recorded lots of now classic recordings and was clearly independent woman in her own right. This was also a time when black women were preferred to be light skinned and hair had to be straightened in imitation of their white counterparts. To many of her contemporaries, Rainey was ugly woman - there wasn't much she could do with her stocky figure, face or hair - she simply covered herself in a lots of flashy jewelry, dressed in outrageous costumes and used her big smile as a weapon.
Not much is known about her private life. They say she was illiterate, big hearted and always ready to help people in need. It seems that at certain point she employed young Bessie Smith and had teaching her about performing - however, Smith was such a original genus in her own right that I doubt she was really copying anybody, she probably got her professional start with Rainey's traveling circus and later even overshadowed (but never forget) the older woman. When today people discover old 1920s blues music, its because of Bessie that they eventually find their way to Gertude "Ma" Rainey who was her direct music ancestor and influence. Listening her music, you can hear (trough cracks of primitive recording techniques of the time) this deep, gruff, earth-shaking moan of the soulful voice that came from somewhere deep inside. If you think Bessie was impressive (and she certainly was) wait until you hear "Ma" Rainey - she sounds like Mother Earth.
There are only three contemporary photos known of her - the one most familiar is her promotional photo that shows Rainey in a full jewelry and big smile shining like a lighthouse on a old black & white picture. Scarf, golden teeth and flashy jewelry, earrings hanging to the ground. I remember seeing that photo long time ago and thinking "My God,who was that woman?" But she had a beautiful big smile and even on the old picture she seemed very likable person. There is picture of her with her band (again used often for album covers) and a very rare one where she poses in a photo studio, with a young man giving her the book (how strange considering she couldn't read and even when she was recording music in the studio, she would draw herself little pictures of what she was singing about on the piece of paper). In the last picture she was dressed as "respectable" woman and again there is this huge, beautiful smile on her lips. To me she is epitome of 1920s blues and I even love her pictures, she seems like a genuinely nice person (golden teeth and all) - another of the people whom I consider beautiful in their own way.
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