Ma Rainey

Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett (April 26, 1886 - December 22, 1939), better known as "Ma" Rainey, was an American musician who was one of the earliest professional blues singers and also one of the first generation of blues musicians to record. Her earliest recordings was made in 1923 which for example included, "Moonshine Blues" (1923) and "Bo-Weevil Blues" (1923). She is often referred to as the "Mother of the Blues".