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Ma Rainey returns to Columbus and becomes a theatrical businesswoman. On December 22, 1939, Gertrude Pridgett 'Ma' Rainey died.
Rainey the BusinesswomanMa Rainey, although she'd traveled considerably until 1935, had always left her heart down South. That year her sister died and Ma went home to Columbus, Georgia to live in the house she had built for her family. Over the years she had learned to be a good businesswoman and bought two theaters in Rome, a city near Columbus. After coming home she took over the operation of these. By the time she turned fifty she ceased to sing regularly, but did join the Friendship Baptist Church. Then, three days before Christmas in 1939, Ma Rainey's voice was heard for the last time. Ma Rainey Sings No MoreOn December 22, 1939, Gertrude Pridgett 'Ma' Rainey died. Her death certificate surely gave a sign of the times of Black struggle and the fight for equality when it simply noted that the occupation of the deceased was-housekeeping. But those that sing the blues, or just get a lift from hearing them sung, know better-oh so much better. Previous: Ma Rainey Gets Discovered: Only Her Words and Music Mattered. Recommended Reading:Gwendolyn Brooks: First African American to Receive Pulitzer Prize. Coretta Scott King: Activist. An African-American woman who stood up for the civil rights of all people everywhere. The Life of Sojourner Truth: Ain't I A Woman? Source: Boyle, David. African Americans: Coming to America. The Ivy Press Ltd., The Old Candlemakers, Lewes, East Sussex, 2002. Jones, Hettie. Big Star, Fallin' Mama: Five Women in Black Music. The Viking Press, Inc., New York, 1974.
The copyright of the article Home to Columbus in American History is owned by Mary Trotter Kion. Permission to republish Home to Columbus in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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