Bio of Ma Rainey, Influential Early Blues Singer

Born Gertrude Pridgett, Ma Rainey (April 26, 1886 - December 22, 1939) was one of the first blues singers to record music. Nicknamed the â€Å"Mother of the Blues,† she recorded more than 100 singles, including the hits â€Å"Prove it on Me Blues,† â€Å"See See Rider Blues,† and â€Å"Don’t Fish in My Sea.† Fast Facts: Ma Rainey Occupation: Blues singerNickname: Mother of the BluesBorn: 1882 or 1886 in either Russell County, Alabama, or Columbus, GeorgiaParents: Thomas and Ella PridgettDied: Dec. 22, 1939 in Columbus, GeorgiaTop Songs: Prove it on Me Blues, See See Rider Blues, Don’t Fish in My Sea, Bo-Weavil BluesKey Accomplishments: 1990 Rock Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 1990 Blues Foundation Hall of Fame Inductee, 1994 US postage stamp honoree Early Years Gertrude Pridgett was the second child born to minstrel show performers Thomas and Ella Pridgett. Her birthplace is often listed as Columbus, Ga., and her birth year is widely reported as 1886. However, census records indicate that the singer was born September 1882 in Russell County, Alabama. Her singing career took off during her early teens. Like many African Americans, she honed her musical skills in church. By 1900, she was singing and dancing in Georgia’s Springer Opera House, now a National Historic Landmark. A number of artists have performed at the theater, including Buffalo Bill, John Philip Sousa, Burt Reynolds, and Oscar Wilde. Rainey, however, stands out as one of the early greats to do so.   In addition to the career success she enjoyed as a young woman, Rainey hit a milestone in her personal life when she married performer William â€Å"Pa† Rainey on February 2, 1904. The couple performed as â€Å"Ma† and â€Å"Pa† Rainey throughout the South. Traveling so much, especially in rural areas, is what led Ma Rainey to first hear the blues, a new art form at the time.   Blues combined African-American spirituals with African musical customs, such as â€Å"blue,† or flat notes. Performers would typically repeat the same lines, and the lyrics often discussed heartache or struggles of some sort. When Rainey first heard a singer perform the blues, the woman described a man who’d left her. Rainey had never heard anything like it. Introduced in the late 1800s, the blues paved the way for several different music genres, namely RB and rock-n-roll. Ma Rainey came to love the genre so much that she soon started performing blues songs. Her performances thrilled audiences, putting her on the path to become one of the early blues greats. Some scholars have said Rainey influenced younger performers, such as Bessie Smith, the blues singer she met in 1912. But it’s unclear if Rainey really acted as a mentor to Smith, whose singing style differed from hers. Well into the 1910s, Rainey continued to enjoy musical success, performing with Fat Chappelles Rabbit Foot Minstrels as well as Tollivers Circus and Musical Extravaganza. Their shows included chorus lines, acrobats, and comedy acts. When Rainey sang at the end of the program, she looked every bit the stage diva, turning up in showy jewelry, like diamond headpieces and necklaces made of cash. She even had gold teeth, which complemented the gold gowns she wore.   A Hitmaker for Paramount Records In 1916, Rainey began performing without her husband because the two had separated. She did not publicly identify as a lesbian, but some of her later musical lyrics and an arrest for throwing an â€Å"indecent† party toward the end of her career suggest she had romantic relationships with women. The newly single Rainey performed with her own backing band, billing herself as Madam Gertrude â€Å"Ma† Rainey and Her Georgia Smart Sets. Ma Rainey was one of the earliest recording artists to perform blues music. Photo by Donaldson Collection/Getty Images Rainey cut several songs for Paramount Records in 1923. They included the hits Bad Luck Blues, Bo-Weavil Blues, Moonshine Blues, and Those All Night Long Blues. Mamie Smith recorded the earliest blues single three years before. Rainey may not have been the first blues recording artist, but she had a prolific output. She went on to record about 100 blues tracks, and Dead Drunk Blues was among the most popular. Her songs had many themes. The lyrics, like those of many blues songs, focused on romantic relationships; they also discussed drinking and traveling as well as the African-American folk magic known as hoodoo. Although Rainey started out performing in the South, the success of her records led to a tour in the North, where she had dates in cities like Chicago with her backup ensemble, the Wildcats Jazz Band. In the following years, Rainey performed with a number of talented musicians, most famously Louis Armstrong. In 1928, Rainey’s music career began to slow down, as her type of blues fell out of fashion. Paramount did not renew her contract, despite the slew of hits she’d performed for the record label. One of the last tracks she recorded, Prove It On Me Blues, openly discussed her sexual orientation. â€Å"Went out last night with a crowd of my friends,† Rainey sang. â€Å"They must’ve been women, ‘cause I don’t like no men. It’s true I wear a collar and tie. Makes the wind blow all the while.† In the promotional image for the song, Rainey is drawn wearing a suit and a hat, speaking with a few women as a policeman eyes her. The song and the image allude to a women-only party Rainey threw 1925. It got so rowdy that a neighbor complained to the police. The women were getting affectionate with one another when the officer arrived, and as party host, Rainey was arrested for throwing an indecent party. While the singer could not openly identify as a lesbian during this era, she is regarded as a gay icon today. She’s one of the recording artists featured in Robert Philipson’s 2011 documentary T’Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s. Ma Rainey’s Impact Today Although Rainey stopped recording new music in the late 1920s, she continued to perform, simply at much smaller venues than she had during the height of her career. In 1935, she retired from the industry, returning to her hometown of Columbus, Ga. There, she purchased two movie halls—the Lyric and Airdome theaters. Ma Rainey died from a heart attack on Dec. 22, 1939.   She may have been a singer, but Rainey has been a major influence on black literature and drama. Poets Langston Hughes and Sterling Allen Brown both alluded to her in their works. The August Wilson play â€Å"Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom† directly referenced the singer as well. And Alice Walker based blues singer Shug Avery, a character in her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel â€Å"The Color Purple,† on artists like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. In 1990, Rainey was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Hall of Fame and the Rock Roll Hall of Fame. Four years later, the US Postal Service issued a postage stamp in the blues singer’s honor. Her home in Columbus, Ga., became a museum in her honor in 2007. Sources Freedman, Samuel J. What Black Writers Owe to Music. New York Times, 14 October 1984.Giaimo, Cara. The Queer Black Woman Who Reinvented The Blues. Atlas Obscura, 27 April 2016.ONeal, Jim. Ma Rainey. The Blues Foundation, 10 November 2016.

Compare And Contrast Igen Vs. Millennial - 1009 Words

Igen vs. Millennial For all the 1996 babies and later, have you ever wondered what the generation before us was like? Did they have the same privileges as you, same taste in music, or what about the same food preference? If you were to compare the two generations, you would see that there are many similarities and differences from one another. I interviewed a young lady from the millennial generation to give me some insight on how their generation was compared to ours. After coming up with some questions, I came to see that both generations have a few similarities. First the importance of extended family. Spending time getting to know family isn’t as important for us igens. The closest we get to extended family is our grandmother and†¦show more content†¦For fun they didn’t participate in nothing to exotic or dangerous back then. Now a day’s groceries and clothes are so expensive and outrageously high. You could go into a clothing store and only get fiv e items and you’re paying a hundred or more for barely anything. Even Goodwill where you’re supposed to be getting deals you’re paying an arm and a leg. Brooklyn and I both realized that both of our generations are dealing with the same cost. I asked Brooklyn, how much did things cost back then and her response was, â€Å"About the same as your generation†. Considering Brooklyn is only seven years older than me not much has changed in the economy. As far as cost, we are very similar in our generation. A second difference I want to discuss in both millenials generation and ours is how kids are spoiled. 90’s generation are definitely spoiled we don’t work for anything really. Everything most of us receive is just because we asked for it. Me personally I will admit I am spoiled, but not everything I received easily. I asked my source if kids in her generation were spoiled and if so how? Her answer was, â€Å"No one was spoiled we all had to wo rk for everything we got no special treatment no nothing. We had jobs to attend everyday if not every other day†. Being spoiled didn’t start until our generation. We invented it. Lastly, to compare

Marketing and Implementation Strategy Community MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Marketing and Implementation Strategy Community. Answer: Introduction: Every individual would want to achieve something in. The problem is that setting those goals and knowing how to attain them is a problem. According to a YouTube video named SMART Goals', it is important to always set goals that are specific, achievable, reasonable and time-bound. My two primary goals after graduating are to further my studies to masters degree level. I have always wanted to reach greater heights in education and am more motivated to do so by my workmates who most of them have post-graduate degrees. My second goal is to execute my dream business plan which I have had for years; to own an Indian foods restaurant. The profits I would get will enable me to achieve my third goal which is to help elderly people who are less privileged. The three key questions that guide my principles are: What is your purpose in life? What impact do your actions have in the society? Do you love what you do? I am an individual with strong morals; honesty and integrity are my core values. I feel delighted when my actions put a smile on someone's face. With a great desire to achieve higher education and financial stability, I believe that all the wealth will be nothing if the community around me is suffering. Indian foods have a potential market in UAE considering that several Indians live in UAE ad would want a test of their foods. At my current workplace, I would get a promotion once I finish my masters degree. Marketing and Implementation Strategy Driven by strong ethics and principles, I am an honest and sincere person with strong communication skills and results oriented. I have self-confidence and strong personality and problem-solving skills. I love interacting with people and love working as a team as well as individually. I am always eager to solve problems no matter how difficult they might seem to be. Since my childhood, I have always stayed organized and sometimes people would say that I am a perfectionist, a virtue that has seen me excel in whatever I do. I always strive to achieve great things and never easily quit till I do. What differentiates me from the rest is that I am innovative; I am always on the lookout for new ideas that would bring a change in any organization or business. I do not go with the mass or what many people believe in but, trusting my instincts is what I believe in. Achieving a dream can be a hard process, but it requires resilience and patience; no matter how big the dream is, everything is possible (Widener, 2017). My goal to start an Indian foods restaurant started after finishing my diploma and getting a job. I believe that a business person requires knowledge and achieving my diploma was one of the key milestones towards my dreams. I did not quit after realizing that I can further my studies so that I can have skills that would enable me to get a better position at my work and also skills to run my business in future. Joining college to get my degree is another key milestone I have made in achieving my dreams. I have consulted widely and found out that I can get support from Khalifa Fund that would enable me to jumpstart my business once I graduate. According to me, success means achieving the goals that an individual has longed for. The road to success is always rough. The main challenge that is likely to arise is insufficient fund to star t the business. Another challenge is getting well-skilled people whom I can trust to help me with my business. The business success is also not 100%; repaying the loan might be hard if the business will not make profits. With this in mind, I have learnt of the Khalifa Fund which supports small enterprises; thus the obstacle of financing is solved. To ensure that I repay the funds, I have planned not to quit my job until my business is well established. I will start the business and leave my brother to oversee it, but I will always be closely monitoring its progress to ensure it succeeds. Honesty and integrity have always been my guiding principles. My plan to practice these values is that I will always be recording any transaction in the business to ensure all information is captured. At my workplace, I have never lied, and I will always uphold the organization's core values. One of my professors will be my mentor. One thing I love about him is that he is open-minded and always willing to help. My mother is a great woman and has always been there for me in good and bad times. She is my mentor who guides me in ethical decision making. Based on the six-word-memoir, my memoir would be: Without determination, nothing can be achieved.' Conclusion Every individual on this planet is driven by the desire to achieve certain objectives. Every person has his own definition of success. I would say that success is achieving what a person has been longing for. It is our determination and persistence that will help us to achieve our goals in life. It is my belief that my strong ethical principles will help me to overcome the challenges in achieving my business plan and personal goals in life. References DecisionSkills. (2014, May 22). SMART Goals - Quick Overview. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-SvuFIQjK8 Smith, L. [TEDx Talks]. (2015a, June 17). I would have, you never asked. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR1V7lxsOu0 Smith, L. [TEDx Talks]. (2015b, August 18). Six Words Are The Way In. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8zY0oAdQrs Widener, C. (2017). Personal Development. Retrieved from https://www.success.com/article/7-steps-to-achieve-your-dream

To Kill A Mockingbird Essays (187 words) - To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird The South represents a region of the United States which demonstrates relatively traditional values. For example, southern societies suggest men act like gentlemen, and women act in a polite manner and wear dresses. Such characteristics mainly emerge in small southern towns because they remain unaffected by large groups of people from different parts of the country. Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird documents the life of a young girl growing up in small Maycomb, Alabama. Jean Louise Finch, also known as "Scout," represents a young girl who attempts to find her identity. The young tomboy receives pressure from adults who insist she should conform to the traditional role of a southern lady. Harper Lee uses nicknames, fistfighting, virile clothing, and undesirable women to portray Jean Louise's masculinity while encouraging her to postpone becoming a lady. In traditional society, parents name children according to their gender. Common names for boys include John, Robert and James, whereas Elizabeth, Sarah, and Cathy represent standard names for girls. The author gives her main character two common female titles, Jean Louise. Many southern females have two first names which reinforces their role in society as a Southern Belle, or a traditional southern lady.