Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

At the beginning of Act II, the musicians are setting up in the recording studio while Ma “walks about shoeless, singing softly to herself” (57). Cutler tells Irvin about Sylvester’s stutter, expressing doubts that he can do the voiceover. As Levee flirts with Dussie Mae, Ma Rainey warns Cutler to make him leave her alone. Cutler calls Levee over, and the band prepares to start playing. Irvin announces that they will start with the song “Moonshine Blues,” but Ma insists that they will begin with “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” demanding a microphone for Sylvester. Reluctantly, Irvin informs Ma that the band has reservations about Sylvester’s ability, but Ma asserts, “The band work for me! I say what goes!” (58). Sturdyvant chimes in, allowing the boy one chance to record the voiceover, citing the cost. But Ma balks, “Damn the cost. You always talking about the cost. I make more money for this outfit than anybody else you got put together. If he messes up, he’ll just do it till he gets it right” (58). 

Sylvester stutters through his first attempt, and Ma reassures him that he’ll get it right eventually. Suddenly, as they prepare to start again, Ma demands a Coke. She insists, “You know I don’t sing nothing without my Coca-Cola!” (60). Sturdyvant reprimands her for slowing them down again when they are already behind schedule. Irvin steps in, promising to order a Coke from the deli. Ma Rainey insists that she won’t start without it, sending Slow Drag and Sylvester out to get her Coke. After they leave, Ma confronts Cutler for going to Irvin about Sylvester. Ma doesn’t care if he stutters, insisting, “He’s doing the part and I don’t wanna hear any more of this shit about what the band says” (62). Then she tells Cutler to replace Levee when they get to Memphis because “Levee ain’t nothing but trouble” (62). Cutler defends Levee, but Ma refuses to yield. Cutler comments to Ma that Bessie Smith sings “Moonshine Blues” as well, and Ma says she doesn’t care about Bessie Smith, exclaiming, “I been doing this a long time. Ever since I was a little girl. I don’t care what nobody else do. […] Ma don’t stand for no shit. Wanna take my voice and trap it in them fancy boxes with all them buttons and dials…and then too cheap to buy me a Coca-Cola” (62). She acknowledges that Irvin and Sturdyvant don’t care about her, they just want to make money off of her voice. She asserts, “If you colored and can make them some money, then you all right with them. Otherwise, you just a dog in the street” (63).

In the studio, Toledo is reading a newspaper and Levee is singing the song he just finished writing, excited to show it to Sturdyvant. Dussie Mae enters, impressed. Levee flirts with her, suggesting, “A man what’s gonna get his own band need to have a woman like you” (64). Dussie Mae tells him to try again when he actually gets his own band. Levee tries to kiss her, but Dussie Mae stops him. He gropes her. Dussie Mae asks, “How’s you get so crazy?” (65). Levee replies, “It’s women like you…drives me that way” (65) and leans in again to kiss her as the lights go down in the band room. They rise in the studio, as Ma talks to Cutler and Toledo about the blues. She says, “White folks don’t understand about the blues. 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” (66). She adds, “This be an empty world without the blues. I take that emptiness and try to fill it up with something” (66). Toledo tells her that that is why she is called the Mother of the Blues, but Ma explains that she didn’t invent the blues, just brought it out.

Slow Drag and Sylvester return with Cokes, and Ma sends Sylvester to fetch Irvin. In the band room, Slow Drag catches Levee and Dussie Mae kissing. He informs Levee that they will be starting soon. Back in the studio, everyone is in place. They begin, but Sylvester stutters through the intro once again. Sturdyvant attempts to start again without the voiceover, but Ma insists that Sylvester is going to do it. Sylvester tries again, this time perfectly. Ma sings “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and when they finish, ready to move on, Sturdyvant informs them that the song didn’t record, blaming Levee for kicking the plug out of the wall. Levee defends himself as the band and Ma rebukes him. When one of the mikes has a damaged cord, Ma gets angry, announcing, “This is the most disorganized…Irvin, I’m going home” (71). Irvin begs her to stay. Sturdyvant threatens her that if she leaves, he will end her career. Irvin tells Sturdyvant to let him handle it, pleading with Ma to give him 15 minutes for what is sure to be a hit record.

Ma agrees to give them fifteen minutes to fix the issues. Cutler, Slow Drag, Toledo, and Levee head to the band room. Cutler blames Levee for the delay, claiming that Levee was more focused on Dussie Mae than playing. Cutler exclaims, “Nigger, don’t you know that’s Ma’s gal?” (72). Cutler warns Levee that Ma will ruin his music career, but he refuses to listen. Toledo muses that sometimes men want to be a fool for a woman. When Slow Drag asks if Toledo had ever been a fool for a woman, Toledo tells them that he has. He explains that he married a woman and had children, but she had become religious while Toledo was not. One day, she left him. Cutler disagrees with Toledo, claiming that the situation did not make him a fool, unlike Levee “messing with Ma’s gal” (75). Cutler claims that in Toledo’s situation, life wasn’t fair. Toledo replies, “Oh, life is fair. It’s just in the taking what it gives you” (75). Levee and Toledo argue, as Toledo says that men like Levee are never satisfied, and Levee asserts that he is right to be dissatisfied as a black man who only gets scraps from society.

Levee brings up their earlier conversation about selling his soul to the devil, angering Cutler who calls it blasphemous. Toledo interjects, “We done the same thing, Cutler. There ain’t no difference. We done sold Africa for the price of tomatoes. We done sold ourselves to the white man in order to be like him. […] We’s imitation white men” (76). Levee disagrees, arguing that he’s going to be famous like Ma and the white men will be forced to respect him. Cutler responds that Ma is only famous to black people, noting that she can’t even get a taxi to give her a ride. Cutler tells the story of Reverend Gates, a well-known black preacher, who was taking a train to see a sick family member. He got off the train in a small town to use the bathroom—“the only colored rest room is an outhouse they got sitting way back two hundred yards or so from the station” (78)—and the train left without him. As night began to fall, Gates was attacked by a group of white men who ripped off his cross and shredded his Bible, forcing him to dance for their entertainment. Cutler finishes the story, adding, “So… the white folks don’t care nothing about Ma Rainey. She’s just another nigger who they can use to make money” (80).

Levee asks Cutler, “What I wants to know is…if he’s a man of God, then where the hell was God when all of this was going on?” (80). Levee gets riled up, claiming that God hates black people and ignores their prayers, until Cutler reacts, punching Levee in the face and leaping onto him. Toledo and Slow Drag pull them apart, and Levee shows them a knife. He tells Cutler, “I’m gonna give your God a chance. I’m gonna give him a chance to save your black ass” (81). They fight, as Slow Drag and Toledo implore Levee to put the knife away. Levee works himself up, yelling at God for failing to help his mother when she was gang-raped. He forgets Cutler and addresses his anger at God. Then Levee folds the knife, stating, “Your God ain’t shit, Cutler” (82). The scene shifts to the studio where Ma Rainey is singing, finishing up the last song of the session. Irvin congratulates them. Ma begins to criticize the musicians. She accuses Levee of embellishing, making it difficult for her to sing. Levee argues back, daring Ma to fire him, which she does. Levee claims that Ma did him a favor. Irvin tells Ma that Sturdyvant can’t pay Sylvester himself and can only take the money out of Ma’s pay. Ma threatens him to pay Sylvester or she would never record with Sturdyvant again.

In the band room, the musicians pack up their things. Slow Drag tries to be friendly to Levee, but Levee rejects him. They wait for their pay. In the studio, Sturdyvant pays Ma and Sylvester, insisting that Irvin was mistaken. Ma replies, “The only mistake was when you found out I hadn’t signed the release forms. That was the mistake” (87). Sturdyvant urges Ma to sign the forms, but she tells him to put them in the mail. Irvin begs, and Ma finally signs. She exits with Sylvester and Dussie Mae. Irvin and Sturdyvant bring money to the musicians in the band room. Levee asks Sturdyvant about his songs. Sturdyvant puts him off, claiming that he doesn’t think people will buy Levee’s music. He offers to buy them at five dollars per song, but Levee rejects the offer. Sturdyvant stands firm, finally forcing the money into Levee’s pocket. Levee crumples up the money and throws it on the floor. As the musicians walk out, Toledo steps on Levee’s shoe. Toledo apologizes, but Levee explodes, refusing to let it go. The band turns away, packing up their belongings. Suddenly, Levee pulls out his knife, runs at Toledo and stabs him in the back. Realizing what he’s done, Levee looks to the others, justifying his actions, and trying to get Toledo to stand up. Angry, he yells at the dead Toledo to stop staring at him. Cutler sends Slow Drag to get Irvin, and “the sound of a trumpet is heard, Levee’s trumpet, a muted trumpet struggling for the highest of possibilities and blowing in pain and warning” (92).