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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 Out

sealed 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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