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| Ma Rainey |
A few days ago the world celebrated the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day as we here in the United States continue through Women's History Month. So, it seems a perfect time to turn our attention to the important contributions made by women blues artists to the music that, as Michael says, "can remind us that we are all in it together!
(To be perfectly honest we had actually planned to focus shows in March on the blues women artists before we realized this month was an epicenter for women's celebrations. It seems The Goddess knows what She's doing--even as Michael and I continue to bumble along.)
To be sure, women have been at the heart--and soul--of blues music all along. "Crazy Blues" by Mamie Smith in 1920 was the first recorded blues vocal and some sources cite the prolific Gertrude "Ma" Rainey as having coined the term the blues in the first place as she added a song lamenting the loss of her man to her repertoire in 1902.
So, this week Spinning Tales will take a tour through the early blues as only women could sing it, through the recordings of Ma Rainey, Bessie Jackson, Elvie Thomas, Emma Wright, Geeshie Wiley, Lottie Kimbrough, Lulu Jackson, Mae Glover and others, dallying a bit to focus on the incomparable Memphis Minnie who was considered by many of her contemporary blues artists to be one of the finest guitar players around , a pivotal force in the development of the "electrified" blues and the blues combo.
Some of these women, went on to perform for years, yet many of these talented women, like their male counterparts, disappeared from view after a few sessions. All we have is their music to hold onto, to help us through the later stages of a long winter. And we'll do just that this week.
As Michael says, "Hold onto your hearts and feel the blues and the lives lived in a way that only women can sing about!"
This Week's Stories:
At about 4:30pm we'll continue our journey with Kendy a, following along with her as she travels in East Africa from Cairo, following the Rift Valley, to South Africa.
At 5:30 we hear the next in the series of Native American stories spoken by Nancy Andry, a Nonotuck tale, "Raven and Octopus."
