Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - 16

Welcome to
MA'S HOUSE
'Mother of the Blues' chronicled in her
Columbus home
By Borden Black
G
eorgia plays a large role in the
history of many musical genres.
But while people may be quick to
note milestones in country, hip-hop and
rock 'n' roll linked to our state, perhaps
fewer would recognize Georgia's part in
the development of the blues.
An unassuming house on Fifth Avenue
in Columbus now serves as a museum that
pays tribute to its famous former resident,
Ma Rainey, who was born in the city and
went on to become known as the " Mother
of the Blues. "
Who was Ma Rainey?
" She lived the life she loved and loved the life she lived, " says Florene
Dawkins, who was instrumental in saving the Columbus home and turning
it into the Ma Rainey House and Blues Museum.
Local historian, curator and consultant Fred Fussell outlines Rainey's
life in informative text panels throughout the house. The panels show that
Gertrude Malissa Pridgett was born in Columbus in 1886. She began
performing at a young age with a group called The Bunch of Blackberries.
In 1904, Pridgett married William " Pa " Rainey and began touring with
him as " Ma " Rainey. She also began singing with traveling vaudeville acts in
tent shows, honky-tonks and carnivals.
After 12 years, she split from her husband, billed herself as " Madame "
Rainey and created her own show: Madame Gertrude Ma Rainey and Her
Georgia Smart Set.
Dawkins points out that Rainey was a trailblazer, owning a traveling
tour bus and becoming the first black woman to sign a recording contract
with Paramount Records. Between 1923 and 1928, she recorded nearly
100 songs.
" Her records were sold by mail order to African Americans, "
Dawkins says.
According to several biographers, Rainey was a flashy performer,
appearing on stage wearing gold-coin necklaces, bright dresses and shawls,
and glittery headbands. Her portraits show one necklace with an eagle,
which became her trademark.
" Everybody has a certain style. She was not just singing blues; she
was a whole persona who had a way of interacting with the crowd, " says
Stephen Turner, musicologist at Tennessee State University in Nashville.
" She could invoke some clever comedy, and she knew how to play the
crowd. She was a whole package. "
The Depression caused Rainey's
Ma Rainey's house before (right) and after
(above) a renovation campaign
16 Georgia Magazine February 2025
music career to fade. According to the
timeline exhibited in her home, Rainey
cut her last recording in 1928, and her
final live performances were in 1935. She
returned to her hometown of Columbus
and bought the house on Fifth Avenue,
where she lived until she died of
congestive heart failure at age 53.
A reproduction of her death
certificate, which hangs in the house,
Columbus resident Lisa McCoy created
this sculpture and donated it to the
Ma Rainey House and Blues Museum.
B
O
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B
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A
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BORDEN BLACK
COURTESY MA RAINEY HOUSE
Georgia Magazine - February 2025

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