Complete 1

Ma Rainey | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 2, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Document
• ASIN: B000000JHX
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #411,461 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #56 in Music > Indie Music > Blues > Vocal Blues

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Historically Important--But She's Just Getting Started, March 6, 2001

By 

Marc Dolan (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete 1 (Audio CD)

These are the first recordings of the most important woman blues vocalist of the early twentieth century. Notice that I said "first," not "best." By the time Ma Rainey got to record, other African American women had been making blues records for three years. Even though Rainey was the mother of them all, she was following in their footsteps when it came to recording. On this disc, you hear her adjusting to a brandnew medium. This is definitely worth owning if you're a hardcore fan, but if you just want to get to know Rainey, the Fantasy/Milestone selection of her later tracks is probably your best bet.

5.0 out of 5 stars MA RAINEY, June 13, 2009

By 

Jerry C. Stanaway - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Complete 1 (Audio CD)

Ma Rainey was one of the greatest blues singers of all time and everyone who really loves the blues should have this CD. The sound quality is fine when you consider that it was not recorded electrically. Those of us who enjoy listening to vintage recordings get used to sound quality that is not up to current standards. I'd much rather listen to Ma Rainey than Billie Holliday or Ethel Waters. As Memphis Minnie said of Ma Rainey, "She was the best blues singer I ever heard."

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The mother of the blues, March 4, 2003

By 

Jahlaune Hunt "Jahlaune Hunt" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete 1 (Audio CD)

Enjoyable if you want to learn what early commerically made blues sounded like. It's importantto remember this is as primitive a recording as you will hear as recording was relativitly new. Moreover, Ma Rainey was more known for her vaudevillian showmanship than her recording. I say if you buy this then buy Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters and Billie Holiday as these were the three most importnat women of jazz/blues. And you can see just how far and fast blues eveolved in a relitively short period of time.