
Ma
Rainey
Inducted:
1990
Category:
Musical Influence
Inducted By:
Bonnie Raitt
Ma Rainey may not have been the first woman to sing the blues, but she might as well have. Her sturdy, tough vocals wiped away any memory of other blues singers. Whatever you heard before, it was not the blues—because no one else sang the blues like Ma Rainey.
Impact

The fire and gusto of ma's singing was exceptional
Bonnie Raitt

1990 Hall of Fame Essay
They call them classic-blues singers – women like Ida Cox, Sippie Wallace and Bessie Smith, who sang their way into musical history during the blues boom of the Twenties...
Written By Chris Albertson
Check It Outsealed with a signature
This is the signature that appears on the inductee’s plaque at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to officially commemorate their induction.
Ma Rainey
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