There’s no question Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is one of the biggest Netflix movies of 2020. With stand-out performances from Hollywood stars like Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman, the historical musical is bound to make a big splash come…
There’s no question Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is one of the biggest Netflix movies of 2020. With stand-out performances from Hollywood stars like Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman, the historical musical is bound to make a big splash come awards season. But viewers may be wondering, is Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom based on a true story? Technically yes, but it’s mostly based on a play. In both the play and the new film, the story centers on the tensions that erupt between real-life performer Ma Rainey (played here by Davis), her band, and their controlling white studio managers during a Chicago recording session in 1927. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson was inspired to write the 1982 Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom stage production after becoming captivated by the singer’s musical legacy. Known as the “Mother of Blues,” the artist’s flashy stage presence and larger-than-life voice notably inspired other music greats such as Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong.
