Meme Music: the Integral Bond between Meme 18

Black Queer Female representation in the Blues era

The blues, like most of American popular music, was conceived by a community who often is not given its due credit, respectability or visibility. Not only was the creation of the genre instrumental in Black America’s establishment of artistic integrity during the civil rights movement, but it was also a cultural movement where other important representation can be found, particularly that of the queer community. Within that sphere of the Black community, queer women can be credited as many of the biggest names in blues and jazz, and even the larger music industry. Figures in both blues performance and composition represented women and queer culture when it was no simple task, facing the scrutiny of a very unwelcoming general public. Through the unabashed careers of these musicians, we are able to look back at this era in music and see a spectrum of diversity that is inclusive of more than society was comfortable with then, and a source of pride for members of the community today.

Sexuality on its own was not a taboo topic within blues music. In fact, it was within this genre that overtly sexual subject matter was first expressed in American popular music. Contrasting to wholesome, family-friendly crooners such as Pat Boone, blues artists used topics like infidelity, casual sex, and lustfulness often. The reception of this was mixed at first, but there eventually grew to be a general embrace, as the blues were meant to embody and express the human experience,

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including what happened behind closed doors. This left room for artists like Jelly Roll Morton, a late-blues-early-jazz legend known largely for his promiscuity. In fact, his stage name was a crude reference to female anatomy. It was only when sexuality was utilized outside of the context of heteronormative, male perspectives that it was harshly criticized across the board and used as a tool to condemn artistry in general. In other words, the blues opened doors for use of sexual themes, but queer women were not afforded as positive a reception as straight men when exploring them.

Furthermore, homophobic sentiments were a common criticism to the blues genre, working to cheapen and detract from the integrity of an artist’s work. One example of this would be the controversy of the female pantsuit. It was expected that women in jazz would wear glamorous gowns for live shows to play into feminine stereotypes. Their roles within performing groups objectified them to the point where they would frequently have to feign affairs with male band members to play on the heartstrings of the straight audience. Enter badass female performer, Gladys Bentley, who shattered this stereotype in the mid 1920s during the experimental time of the Harlem Renaissance. Her now iconic suit, tophat and growling voice were very overt gestures that denied the social structures of gender and granted her the confidence to write and perform songs whose lyrics ventured into same-sex desire. Her drag performances were largely popular in places like the gay speakeasy, Harry Hansberry’s Clam House. However, this defiant expression didn’t go unopposed. Many critics wrote her off for the sole reason that she defied expectations of female sexuality at the time, and many who “followed suit” found themselves in the same position.

Less overt in expression (although often seen in pantsuits as well), but vastly more prominent in commercial performance was “Mother of the Blues,” (Gertrude) “Ma” Rainey. A trailblazer, to say the least, Rainey was one of the first early blues performers to record their music and is hailed as the first great female blues vocalist in American popular music. Beginning her career as a member of a minstrel show (a form of early American theater entertainment based on harmful African American stereotypes), she later established a career of agency and pride in music. Songs like “Prove It On Me” tackled gender stereotypes and raised questions about her sexuality when those conversations were less than welcome. She eventually transitioned out of performance to become a powerful businesswoman, opening her own entertainment company and managing theaters in her home state of Georgia.

Designer: Sadhana Pakala (Business Administartion and Design)

Fall 2020 Ma Rainey’s career opened doors for many, including her rumoured lover, Bessie Smith, who was crowned “Empress of the Blues.” Smith was known to have same-sex affairs, the most famous being in 1926 with Lillian Simpson, one of her chorus girls in her touring show. Songs of hers often included blatant lesbian sex references. Standouts include “It’s Dirty But Good” and “Empty Bed Blues,” which states, “I want a deep-sea diving woman/ That got a stroke that can’t go wrong/ Yeah, touch that bottom, gal/ Hold it all night long.” Other significant names include Ethel Waters, who began as a blues singer and carried her career into the jazz age. She had a relationship with dancer Ethel Williams, which spawned a comical relationship title, “the two Ethel’s.” Beyond bringing a new songwriting perspective to the table and revolutionizing performance wardrobe, these women all serve as intersectional icons because of the sheer space that they took up in an industry that generally boxed them out. Their work is even more significant when contextualized within the environment that the male-dominated, heteronormative music industry fostered. Women often dropped out of performance groups during this time on account of unbearable sexual harassment. If they chose to start a family, it was expected that women, as mothers, would give up their careers to raise their children. Because of this, women of the time were faced with the unique challenge of choosing between a family or a career in the musical arts. For women who did choose to wholeheartedly pursue these careers, equal opportunities simply didn’t exist, as women were thought to be physically incapable of achieving the dexterity and skill necessary for instruments other than the piano (which they were often encouraged to learn early on as a form of etiquette to entertain houseguests). It should also be noted that these women were all turning out content as Black artists who were systematically discriminated against their entire careers through the federal enactment of Jim Crow Laws, which legally promoted segregation in the Southern United States until the 1950s.

All of these roadblocks and more made the entertainment industry a minefield for queer women in the early 1900’s. Artists like Ma Rainey not only notably contributed to the blues genre, but also shaped its direction and, in turn, much of American popular music to this day. While they may not be household names themselves, they often entranced and inspired those who we do see as such. Smith, for example, was admired by famous American big-band leader, Fletcher Henderson, and even recorded with the legendary Louis Armstrong in 1925. Acknowledging the presence of these women in history today is paramount as a means of giving due credit and tracing the history of queer artists in America. Learning their stories has the power to inspire generations more of standout acts that work towards representing lives beyond what the industry is paying millions to comfortably promote. Denial of how integral the roles of these women were in the developments of these genres is sure to exist, but the evidence of their impact is here and it’s undeniably queer.

• Drew Quercio (Music Industry)