Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey, billed as the 'Mother of the Blues,' was among the first generation of professional blues singers, carrying the music through Southern vaudeville tent shows from the turn of the century before making her first recordings in 1923. Her deep, declamatory voice and theatrical stage presence — captured on sides like 'See See Rider Blues' — set a template for the classic female blues singers who followed. She recorded prolifically for Paramount through the 1920s, shaping the vocabulary of blues performance.

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1924

See See Rider BluesMa Rainey