They hear it come out, but they don't know how it got there. They don't understand that's life's way of talking. You don't sing to feel better. You sing 'cause that's a way of understanding life.

Rainey's career was not immediately affected. These included the songs "Bad Luck Blues" "Bo-Weevil Blues" and "Moonshine Blues". Blues songs which are only partly of twelve-bar structure as classified as "Mixture of Blues and Popular Song Forms".

Ma Rainey was known for her very powerful vocal abilities energetic disposition majestic phrasing and a ‘moaning’ style of singing similar to folk tradition. She began performing at the age of 12 or 14 and recorded under the name Ma Rainey after Ma Rainey and Will Rainey were married in 1904. Ma Rainey also recorded with Louis Armstrong in addition to touring and recording with the Georgia Jazz Band.