In the history of world music, there are names that do not simply mark a milestone, but serve as the very foundation of an entire genre. Gertrude Melissa Pridgett, who went down in history as Ma Rainey, rightfully holds the title of the "Mother of the Blues."

The musician began her creative journey at the turn of the 20^th century on the stages of travelling tent shows and minstrel shows, which were highly popular at the time. In 1904, she married comedian and singer Will Rainey. Together, they formed the duo "Rainey and Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues" (which, in the American slang of that era, meant that they blew audiences away with their blues). It was then that the performer established her famous stage name, "Ma" Rainey.

While traditional jazz was just emerging on the streets of New Orleans, Ma Rainey was already touring the country. She collected and reimagined African American folk songs, which were imbued with melancholy, tales of hard labour, and, at the same time, an indomitable thirst for life. Her performing style was distinguished by striking vocal power, a deep contralto, a flawless sense of rhythm, and a unique "moaning" intonation that would subsequently become the hallmark of classic female blues.

Despite the immense popularity of her live performances, Ma Rainey came to studio recording as a mature, fully formed artist. In 1923, she signed a contract with the Paramount Records label, where under the guidance of the legendary producer J. Mayo Williams, she recorded about 100 tracks in just five years (from 1923 to 1928). Many of them became absolute classics of American music: "Bo-Weevil Blues," "See See Rider Blues," and the famous "Moonshine Blues." The greatest jazzmen of the era collaborated with her in the studio, from a young Louis Armstrong to Sidney Bechet.

It was during this period that the complex, competitive relationship between Paramount and another industry giant, the Vocalion Records label, was established. When producer Mayo Williams moved to Vocalion in 1927, he brought his rigorous talent selection standards with him, turning the label into Paramount's chief rival in the jazz and blues market. While Paramount succeeded on the strength of its first-rate catalogue, Vocalion banked on technological superiority – their famous "red shellac" provided a quality of sound unprecedented for that era.

In the following decades, it was Vocalion that would seize the initiative: the label became the primary custodian of the "Mother of the Blues" legacy, recording new urban versions of her songs performed by next-generation stars and carefully reissuing her iconic singles for European jazz connoisseurs. Ma Rainey was not merely a vocalist, but also an outstanding producer: she wrote her own lyrics and managed her own touring orchestra, the "Wild Cats Jazz Band." On stage, she epitomized the luxury and extravagance of the "Roaring 20s," performing in heavy, sequined gowns, necklaces made of real gold coins, and with gold crowns on her teeth that flashed under the spotlights.

In her songs, Ma Rainey spoke openly about female independence, the hardships of daily life, social injustices, and personal freedom. She became an icon of early feminism, proving that a woman in the entertainment industry could be the absolute master of her own destiny and run a successful business. With the onset of the Great Depression, the era of classic female blues began to decline. In 1935, Ma Rainey retired from her career and returned to her native Georgia, where she managed theaters until her passing in 1939. In 1990, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Today, in the era of digital sound, the true continuity of blues generations can only be felt by touching historical musical media. A striking example of this in the musical collection of the "Collection" Museum is the gramophone record "Moonshine Blues" (released by the British branch of Vocalion Records). The original master matrix for this release was recorded on May 19, 1937, in Chicago, where Ma Rainey's iconic song was performed by a new-generation star, Georgia White. Possessing a similarly rich contralto, White transformed the archaic southern blues into the dense, rhythmic urban style of the 1930s, accompanied by pianist Richard M. Jones and guitarist Lonnie Johnson. This particular release, issued in the UK in October 1954 (cat. number V 1038), demonstrates the highest sound quality and the careful attitude of European publishers toward American jazz heritage.

The textured, dense sound of the shellac record, played through the horn of an antique gramophone, captures the very atmosphere of the era – the smoky clubs of Chicago, the glint of gold, and the primal energy of the blues, which continues to echo through the decades.