Classic female blues

Classic female blues was an early form of blues music, dominated by women that was popular in the 1920s in the United States. An amalgam of traditional folk blues and urban theater music, the style is also known as vaudeville blues. Classic blues were performed by female singers accompanied by pianists or small jazz ensembles and were the first blues to be recorded. Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, and the other singers in this genre were instrumental in spreading the popularity of the blues. Women in blues were instrumental in influencing later genres of music such as jazz, rhythm & blues and rock and roll.