Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Characters

Levee is a young Black trumpet player in Ma Rainey’s band. A confident, ambitious man, he’s unsatisfied with his role as an accompanying musician. He thinks the style of Ma Rainey’s music isn’t exciting… read analysis of Levee

Ma Rainey was a real-life Black musician famous for singing the blues in the early 20th century. Often hailed as the “Mother of the Blues,” she was an important artist in the genre’s development and… read analysis of Ma Rainey

Cutler is a Black guitar and trombone player in Ma Rainey’s band. He is the group’s unofficial leader, making sure the band plays whatever Ma wants. Unlike Levee, he believes in simply doing… read analysis of Cutler

Toledo is a Black musician in Ma Rainey’s band. A piano player who enjoys speaking philosophically about life and what it’s like to be Black in the United States, Toledo is the only literate… read analysis of Toledo

Sturdyvant is a white executive in the music industry. Although it’s never explicitly stated in the play, he seems to own the recording label that puts out Ma Rainey’s music. Despite the fact that… read analysis of Sturdyvant

Irvin is a white executive in the music industry. He works alongside Sturdyvant, though he’s technically Ma Rainey’s manager. However, he spends at least as much of his energy trying to please Sturdyvant… read analysis of Irvin

Sylvester is Ma’s nephew. Ma brings him to the recording session and announces that he will be performing a spoken-word intro for the song “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The band is skeptical about Sylvester’s… read analysis of Sylvester

Dussie Mae is a young woman who travels with Ma. Although it’s never explicitly stated in the play, it’s implied that Dussie Mae and Ma are romantically involved. However, Dussie Mae remains open to… read analysis of Dussie Mae

Slow Drag tells his bandmates a story about Eliza Cottor, a man he knew in Alabama. Eliza used to be a regular man who made his living by putting shoes on mules and horses… read analysis of Eliza Cottor

When Ma, Sylvester, and Dussie Mae get into a car accident on their way to the studio, the police officer racially profiles them by assuming they’re driving a stolen car. He also blames… read analysis of Police Officer