Ma Raineys Black Bottom
"Ma” Rainey’s Black Bottom This play, set in Chicago in the 1920s, exemplified the struggles that African Americans still faced in the United States. ... Ma Rainey was the singer for this band, but she was not the main focus of the play. ... Levee believed he had a shot, for Sturdyvant liked Levee’s version of the song “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” which was a bit more jazzier and upbeat. This angered Ma Rainey, for she wanted to remain in the spotlight. A tension was easily seen between Levee and Ma Rainey, for Levee wanted to be a star because he was tired of being in the background as part of the band, behind Ma Rainey.